To Die on an Ice Field
by X-Rage
Summary: From Rukongai to Captaincy and everything else in between. A genius, a prodigy, an embodiment of a Heavenly Guardian, wielder of the strongest ice-snow zanpakutō in Soul Society. Update: A short conversation between Aizen, and Gin. (In the process of Revision)
1. Prologue

Summary: From Rukongai to the Academy, to the Gotei 13 to a Seat, to Bankai and Captaincy. A genius, a prodigy, an embodiment of a Heavenly Guardian, wielder of the strongest ice-snow zanpakutō in Soul Society. He is Hitsugaya Tōshirō.

Disclaimer (for the whole story): I do not own Bleach.

Prologue

_I dream about an ice field. I can feel the ice. I can hear a voice. Like thunder, it resounds far away. Like a flower, it brushes against my hand._

In a field of green, the speck of white was hard to miss. A pale child with snowy white hair, dressed simply in coarse blue cloth, laid back and contemplated the mysteries of the universe.

"Winter is always pleasantly cool, though Granny can't stand it, but Summer is the season of watermelons…" he pondered aloud. The serious question of which season he preferred best had plagued him for days and it seemed like he would not be getting an answer today either.

The sun was starting to set when he finally got up from where he lay to begin the trek back home. Dinner was a very important meal not to miss when you were a perpetually hungry child. On the way back, the strange glances and even despising gazes that were part of his usual days were 3ignored. _The strange child_ they called him, with hair of snow and eyes looking like they saw and knew too much. _The strange child_ they called him, and they thought themselves polite to address him as such because there were so much more insulting and rude names they could have used.

"I'm home, Granny!" he called out, only to find his caretaker replaced by another familiar figure. "Shiro-chan~!" Bed-wetter Momo exclaimed before rushing over to hug him. "It's been so long! Eh, you haven't grown at _all_ Shiro-chan! How am I supposed to say "You've grown so much" now?"

The jibe about his height was _completely_ unwelcome. "Shut up, Bed-wetter Momo!" his own face going red, "What are you doing back home anyway!" but his smile could not be hidden.

"Oh Toushirou, I've graduated!" She burst out. "You've graduated?" he repeated in question. "I thought training at the Academy lasted for six years. It's only been four."

"I know! That's the good thing! I manage to graduate early, near the top of the graduating class _and _they assigned me to Aizen-taichou's division!"

He frowned, "Isn't it going to be dangerous for you now that you're actually a shinigami?"

"I'm _trained _now Shiro-chan," Hinamori stressed, puffing out her chest with pride. "I'm going to be the best shinigami I can be to help Aizen-taichou in whatever way I can!"

"Again with the Aizen-taichou," he grumbled. "I can't see what's so great about him anyway."

"Oh that's because you haven't met him! I'm sure you'd be filled with awe if you do! He's so cool, and really nice." Anything else she could possibly say on the subject of Aizen was halted by the emergence of their Granny from the kitchen. "Okay kids, come in and help me serve the food."

Dinner passed by pleasantly enough as Hinamori regaled them with tales of her time in the Academy and what she would be doing from now onwards. The latter part only served to worry him and she dismissed his complaints easily, emphasizing on the training she had completed. "And if anything goes wrong, our superiors and colleagues will step in to help."

"Take care of yourself, Momo." Granny said with her gentle smile.

"I will!" she laughed, and patted him on the head. "Don't miss me Shiro-chan!"

"I won't," he grumbled, swatting her hand away with a disgruntled expression on his face.

"Bye for now! I'll be back to visit soon!"

He knew she wouldn't be. The visits had gotten less often over the years, until the last time he saw her before this was a year ago. Her hair was longer, Granny was skinnier and the leaves of trees changed colour and fell off their branches. Time was passing by, and he hadn't grown at all, and he felt like everything was changing around him while he stood there as the only constant.

He wouldn't say that he missed her, but even after she was long gone, he was still sitting there at the doorway, trying to see someone far gone now.

_I can hear a voice. So loud it could crush me, so deafening it could swallow me. But I can never hear what it says._

* * *

><p>It was another five years later before anything changed for him. Bed-wetter Momo came and went just twice in that time, and he missed her more and more with each day that she didn't visit. But he didn't do anything, and she didn't come, and the days were lonely with only Granny for company and the village ostracizing him as always.<p>

_I can hear a voice. It's always there when I close my eyes, and time passes so slowly that some days it feels like the only thing that speaks to me._

He didn't grow at all, and he was starting to think the villagers were right. He was a child who stopped aging a long time ago, with the exception of his hair, which turned white over the passing of years. Or an eternal child born from a vengeful demon, a soul destined to turn into a monster or end up in Hell. Or a child of ice whose age froze along with everything else he ever had, feelings, emotions. Cold-hearted, cold-blooded. Granny wouldn't hear of such thoughts from him - he didn't want a spanking either - and Hinamori wasn't around, and so he was left alone to his own thoughts. There was little entertainment in the village other than spinning tops, and the kids wouldn't play that with him anymore after the millionth time he kicked their asses in it. And Hinamori, his defender and protector against the immature jibes from the kids, wasn't around now either.

It was summer again, and he could feel his annoyance climb as the sun beat down harshly and sweat stuck his clothes to his skin. The question of which was the best season had been decided a long time ago and it was _not _summer. The season was about to end but the weather was as hot as ever.

"Granny, I'm gonna go get some amanattou! We're all out right?" The sugared treat would probably help him feel better about this horrid weather; and help him forget that yesterday, Hinamori had sent word she would come but never appeared.

_I can hear a voice. Like a never-ending winter. I can hear a voice._

That had been a bad decision. He massaged his aching head from where it smashed into the shopkeeper's counter by the power of that crazy lady's breasts. Thankfully he hadn't dropped his change.

Later that night, the crazy lady appeared again. Out of nowhere, and told him he needed to be a shinigami or he'd end up killing his Granny. The whole event felt surreal by the next morning, and he almost thought it was a dream.

But he knew what his dreams were always about.

_I can hear a voice._

And Granny understood. "I'm glad," and she smiled. "You've been holding it in all this time haven't you? You thought your Grams would get lonely if you left her by herself. You've been holding something in because you were thinking of me. But for your Grams, that is the most painful thing of all."

He cried in her arms, and the crazy lady pretended she didn't see his tears and snot from outside where she was still waiting to take him to the Academy.

"Well come on then! The Academy year has already started so you're late as it is!"

He was actually going to the Academy where Hinamori spent four years of her life five years ago. Walking towards that white-walled city where Hinamori was.

_I can hear a voice. It calls out to me, and never stops calling. It is the last thing I think about before falling asleep, and the first thing I think about when I awaken._

He clenched his fist. Finally, he was _doing_ something. The boy who always stood still while the world changed, was finally moving.

And the voice in him that always roared, words he could never hear, and never stopped its circling and pacing in frustration, roared louder than ever that morning he set off.

_I can hear a voice. Like thunder, it resounds far away. Like a flower, it brushes against my hand. I have decided to look for it, and to press on…_

"Hey, what's your name kid?" the crazy lady asked.

_**even if I die on this ice field.**_

"I am Hitsugaya Tōshirō."

_~end._


	2. Pure

**Chapter 1: Court**

The white-walled city in the center of Soul Society, was called the Court of Pure Souls. He wasn't sure what he had expected of it. From what he saw, the buildings were built in a structured and ordered manner. They were of better quality than he had ever seen outside in Rukongai. In fact, they were all built to look the same, and he imagined he could get lost in it very easily. He wondered if this was deliberate, a trick meant to confuse invaders in the event that there were any.

But despite all that, the humans _(shinigami.)_ inhabiting it were all the same.

The crazy lady apparently had a certain amount of rank within the shinigami for her recommendation to be taken seriously, despite having brought a _child_ to be entered into the Academy. The teachers had no choice but to allow him to take the exam, despite the school year having already started one month ago. She had left after the teachers agreed to administer the entrance exam, and his results stunned them.

Shinōreijutsuin. Not the Shinigami Academy, as it was more commonly known in Rukongai. The school trained future shinigami for each of the three military arms of Soul Society, the Gotei 13, the Kidō Corps, and the Onmitsukidō. A sprawling multiple story building, it had an open courtyard and numerous class rooms dormitories and practice areas. In the middle of the entire compound was a large and tall clock tower, that told the time to all of Seireitei.

It was in the middle of the day by the time he finished his entrance exam, and they managed to get him the necessary school materials. Ushered into his first class, kidō theory, the teacher escorting him voiced out "Excuse me," and slid the classroom door open.

The instructor called for attention from his class and the teacher said, "This is Hitsugaya Toushirou. He will be joining this class from now onwards." He heard the disapproving tone in the teacher's voice. He heard the instructor pull the teacher aside to ask "Are you playing a joke on me?" He saw the puzzled looks on the faces of his classmates. He heard the laughter of some in a corner of the room. He saw the offended looks on some; _such a young child joining the top class in the year?_

He wasn't sure what he had expected of the Court of _Pure Souls_. But he should have expected this.

* * *

><p>The first day of classes had not went well. He was almost starting to think he should just quit and pack up because the lack of results coupled with the gossips murmuring behind him wherever he went was starting to drive him a little crazy. Kidō was horrible because it relied on lessons previously covered, which he obviously had not attended. He also did not trust the incantations he copied down in class, because the instructor quickly breezed through them - and for some reason, everyone else in the class seemed to always get it perfectly right. His attempts at Bakudō (1) Sai, had all spectacularly blown up in his face, and the instructor was<em> extremely <em>reluctant to go anywhere near him, much less help him. Hohō was all about increasing your stamina for now, and if he had to hear _one more joke_ about having short legs in that class... Zanjutsu was also horrible in its own way. Everyone started learning zanjutsu with standard katanas in that class, and the female instructor had dismissively patted him on his head and told him to sit at the side and observe for now. And Hakuda ... the good thing was that he was allowed to participate. The bad thing was that his height coupled with his strength, meant it was near impossible for him to hit anyone using the stances and skills they were teaching.

Alone in his room - no roommates since he started late - he stared at the pile of papers that were his notes for kidō theory and tried to control the urge to tear it up.

_Breathe Toushirou. If Bed-wetter Momo can do it and graduate from this school early, you know you can do it too._

_She didn't have to deal with a whole academy filled with uncooperative teachers, useless gossip mongers and idiotic schoolmates._ Another voice snidely said.

He clenched his fist, resisted the urge to bang his head into his desk and told himself again, _Breathe Toushirou, _and tried to make sense of kidō once more.

* * *

><p>That night, he slept, and he dreamt.<p>

The ice dragon that always haunted his dreams was there. And he was screaming and roaring as it always did, and the strong winds blew his voice away as it always did and Hitsugaya couldn't hear its voice as he always did. But the dragon seemed to know something had changed, and it had a greater chance to be heard now, because its roars were louder than before and every single word bellowed echoed all around him. Far away from his sight, near the horizon where the ice field met the sky, huge mountain ranges loomed, having somehow appeared overnight. When the frustrated dragon got tired of hollering at someone who couldn't hear him, he turned around and attacked the mountains but they wouldn't fall and Hitsugaya tried to scream back at him "Don't! You'll hurt yourself!" but like how he couldn't hear the dragon, it couldn't hear him either. The great blue dragon threw itself against the mountains repeatedly and the last blow tore his scales, and blood rained down and Hitsugaya _**screamed**_ and-

woke up to a freezing room.

He never wanted to see the dragon bleed again.

* * *

><p>A week later, things had not improved by much. For kidō, he found out that the library did not stock any books with written kidō incantations to stop students from trying high level spells before they were ready. Unfortunately, these books <em>were<em> in fact sold outside the school but first year students weren't allowed to leave the school compound unless it was a day off. Most students got around this by getting older students to help them buy these books, but he didn't know anyone who would be willing to help him.

In his latest zanjutsu class, the instructor finally handed him a sword. A kodachi to be exact. And told him to familiarize himself with its weight for now and just kinda swing it around. Needless to say, Hitsugaya was not impressed and was more than a little pissed at how the teacher was ... was ... was _babying_ him. Like he was a _child._ And while he sorta was, no one looked their actual age around here, so why did they have to hold him to _Earth_ standards? He was at least 60 years old!

At night, the dreams continued and the mountains just grew taller and taller, and the winds blew fiercer and fiercer, and the dragon threw itself at the mountains harder and harder. When Hitsugaya was shocked awake every night, the room was colder and colder every night, and when he left his room in the morning, he could hear his neighbors complaining to each other about why the nights were so cold these days. Thankfully, the first year students around him weren't advanced enough or smart enough to figure out it was one of their neighbors leaking reiatsu and for that, Hitsugaya was glad. The last thing he needed was the fact that he couldn't control his reiryoku being leaked to the whole school and having _one more "fact"_ presented to them that he was just a child.

He never hated being called a child in Rukongai because he _was_ actually a child but here ... it had rapidly become a grave insult to him. If he did not have the motivation of silencing the dragon, he would have nonetheless worked hard. Add to those the pressure of tearing of the label of _child, _and he was working himself to the ground every night.

Without ever accomplishing anything.

And the mountains just grew taller and he just wanted to cry every time he saw the dragon hurl itself against them.

_He wasn't moving again._

* * *

><p>The long nights and dreaded dreams had taken their toll. Hitsugaya's face grew paler and the bags under his eyes more prominent. All these just served to feed the gossip around school about him.<p>

"_Did you see the child's appearance? He totally looks like he's cracking under the stress. And it's barely the second week for him!"_

_"He should just quit by now."_

It was all very frustrating and he wondered when he would lose the energy to stop caring about all these. Pride dictated he not ask for help, from even the teachers, especially after the Chief Instructor, Saionji Masami, had pulled him aside to say he was clearly not doing well and should expect to be dropped from the first class very soon. With a highly distasteful tone, as if the thought of having a child in her class thoroughly irked her.

He had not known what to expect of Seireitei. But weren't these supposed to be the privileged few? The nobles born with silver spoons in their mouths, and the commoners filled with talent that distinguished them from the others. The words that filled their mouths were the same as those of the villagers in Rukongai. Was it something about him that made everyone say the same things?

"In today's hohō lesson, we'll finally be doing something different from usual. After undergoing the numerous lessons of running, running and nothing but running," here the instructor, Nakamura Kazuma, paused to allow the class a few laughs, "we'll be moving on to some actual footwork training now. As we covered in the first lesson, hohō isn't just about shunpo, though that is certainly the most commonly used technique. You will learn other hohō techniques as you move forward but for these first four years, you will be solely focusing on shunpo. Short-range, long-range, climbing and descending etc."

"Now if you look at the floor, there are two lines drawn all over the room. Later you will pick one and practise on those two lines for the next five lessons. The objective of today's lesson is to get to the other line from one line in the quickest time possible. Activate your reiryoku, let it flow to your legs and _run. _Needless to say there are a few more tiny details to actual shunpo but let's start small shall we? Now class, pick two lines and start practicing! There are some senior students here," he gestured to them, "to assist with today's lesson. We'll be going around the room and giving pointers. Go!"

Excited to be starting on shunpo, even though it was the bare basics, the class hurriedly picked a place to start practicing. Hitsugaya himself stared doubtfully at the two lines in front of him. Let reiryoku flow and run? How was that any different from plain running?

A few sniggers sounded from behind him, and he resisted the urge to turn and glare. As it always was during practical lessons, there were people around waiting to watch him fail and make a clown out of himself. While he hadn't succeeded in anything so far, he hadn't made a clown out of himself either but there were _still_ people waiting around for him to be their entertainment.

"Eh senpai, I don't really understand this 'let your reiryoku flow into your legs thing'," some giggly girl voiced out.

"Yeah, Harunobu-senpai, why don't you show us some actual shunpo?" Another giggly girl asked.

"Er, well..." under the successful persuasion of the Band of Giggly Girls, the senpai conceded and in a flash, disappeared from one line to the other. "Whoa, Harunobu-senpai! You're really good!"

"Do it again do it again!"

"Slower this time senpai!" Other calls resounded and Harunobu sheepishly shrugged at Nakamura-sensei, who rolled his eyes and waved his hand as a go-ahead.

In another flash, this time quite a bit slower, he disappeared back to his original spot. "Whoa! That was great senpai!"

"Heh, you didn't slow down at all!"

Hitsugaya stared at them all like they were idiots. Of _course_ he slowed down, and quite a bit too. It was enough for Hitsugaya to catch how his foot moved. Shunpo suddenly didn't seem that difficult after all. He stared contemplatively at his own foot. If he saw correctly, Harunobu just pushed downward and then launched himself into the air subtly while synchronising the flow of reiryoku to his foot, easily covering the short distance in a single step. But he still seemed to be missing something, Hitsugaya frowned. Maybe if this class of fanboys and girls hollered for Harunobu to do it again ...

"Again senpai! This time _slower!_"

"Okay, last time Harunobu, then everyone get back to your own practice! It's not like you're actually doing this shunpo step now people." Nakamura cut in.

Harunobu obliged, and as the class oohed and aahed, Hitsugaya's mind was far away someplace else. _The ankle! It's not pushing off with your foot but your ankle movement and circulating reiryoku there and and ... and regulating it ..._

Hitsugaya stared back down at his own foot. It really didn't seem that tough.

_"Look at the child." _Someone whispered behind him. _"He looks completely lost, HAHA."_

He instantly grew annoyed. What the hell, if they were waiting to see him make a fool out of himself, why not. Taking a deep breath and hoping he didn't mess up, Hitsugaya started.

_Reiryoku_

_Ankle_

_Regulate_

When he looked down on the floor, he was at the other line and the gossipers were silenced.

For the first time since the crazy lady abandoned him here, Hitsugaya smiled.

"Hey hey hey! What are you guys doing just staring? Get back to your own practice!" Nakamura drew near and the gossipers darted their eyes to him and back to Hitsugaya. Too elated to care, Hitsugaya took a deep breath in.

_Reiryoku_

_Ankle_

_Regulate_

Not noticing the stunned teacher, he almost let out a whoop as he did it again! Successfully! Properly!

Right in front of the shocked Nakamura, whom Hitsugaya didn't actually notice in his elation, Hitsugaya started to shunpo back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, rapidly increasing his speed as he went. The rest of the class stopped their practice to stare at the child within them who had suddenly grasped the most basic step of shunpo.

"Child! No- Hichiguya!" Nakamura finally cut in as he overcame his shock.

Hitsugaya immediately stopped and scowled at the teacher. "It's _Hitsugaya,_" he stressed with a glare.

The teacher didn't even reprimand him for his disrespect. "How did you-?" He cut himself off and turned to the rest of the class. "You guys get back to your own practice!" Practically grabbing Hitsugaya, he dragged him to a corner and asked again, "How did you learn that? Did some upper classmen give you tips?"

"Harunobu showed me just now when he was moving slow enough for a hollow to slice him." The teacher almost reeled back at the rude little boy's comment and revelation. Ignoring the disrespect again, "Seriously? You managed to grasp it from just that?"

Hitsugaya gave him a deadpan look. The teacher had _not_ endeared himself to him with the "Child! No- Hichiguya!" thing. "Er, wow. Good. Good job there Hichi- Hitsugaya. Keep up the good work. That's great progress you've done today. Er, how about you take the rest of the lesson off?" Nakamura smiled a little nervously, "Early dismissal, just for you!"

"Fine, sir."

Hitsugaya didn't miss the eruption of whispers as he left the classroom, but for once, he didn't mind them as much. A grin in place, he flash stepped down the hallway.

* * *

><p>The whispers had made their way around the school. Throughout his later classes and dinner, he heard "<em>Hey did you hear? The child managed to grasp shunpo on his <em>first_ actual hohō lesson today." _The gossip he had not minded this afternoon had rapidly regained their former status. They were once more irritating, annoying and frustrating. Eventually escaping to the confines of his room as per usual, Hitsugaya's mind did not dwell on his morning's success. Progress had been made in his afternoon in an entirely different class. Zanjutsu.

While having some sort of knowledge about shinigami and those special swords of theirs - _zanpakutō_ - they called it, he realized there was a lot he didn't know today when the zanjutsu instructor made some vague reference to _jinzen, _whatever that was. Correctly deducing it was something already gone through when he wasn't here, Hitsugaya had immediately rectified his lack of knowledge of _jinzen _through a book at the library, and through this same book, learned more about zanpakutō and its ties to its shinigami. The entire concept was utterly fascinating to him. A zanpakutō was a part of your soul, would greatly increase your prowess, could purify hollows, and send souls on. It was the basis of a shinigami's power, even before the other shinigami arts like hakuda, hohō and kidō. But those weren't why Hitsugaya was fascinated with it.

A zanpakutō was an _eternal companion_.

To Hitsugaya, who had been faced with loneliness and the sense of standing still while the world moved and changed all around him, what could be more attractive a thought than an eternal companion? To Hitsugaya, who confronted all these when Momo left for this very academy, what could be more attractive than a promise of a companion who would never leave?

Because now he knew. That great blue dragon had to be his zanpakutō, howling and raging for him to hear his name.

That night, the dreams weren't as dreaded before, and when Hitsugaya found himself in that ice field, the mountains didn't seem as tall as they usually were, and the winds didn't blow as strongly. And while he still couldn't hear the dragon, he laughed because he was closer to quieting the raging dragon, and over the loud winds, he thought he could hear the dragon laughing with him too.

That night, the dragon did not hurl itself against the mountains.

* * *

><p><em>~end.<em>


	3. Draw

**Chapter 2: Hyourinmaru**

"Yo! I'm Kurumadani Zennosuke! Nice to meet you!" Hitsugaya stared at this loud idiot who had came out of nowhere to introduce himself. "Hey you could have some sort of reaction right." He broke out of his pose to reprimand Hitsugaya.

"Wha-?"

"See kid," Hitsugaya almost growled, "There's been rumours going around the school that you managed to learn shunpo just by looking at someone else do the same thing! can tell you most certainly I have a feeling you're going to turn out to be an elite shinigami! Like _me_! Which is why we should stick together now in school and help each other out! I'm awesome in zanjutsu, and er," Kurumadani scractched his face, "I heard you kinda suck in it. Which is _good_," he hastily moved on, "Coz now we can help each other out!" Uninvited, the brunette did not hesitate to plop himself down at Hitsugaya's table, tossing back straight long brown hair. Hitsugaya would not be surprised if someone mistook him for a woman from the back.

Thoroughly annoyed and irked by the "you suck in zanjutsu" comment, Hitsugaya replied, "No tha-"

"Hey! Is it true you learnt shunpo just by looking? There are people claiming those are just exaggerations you know, since nobody would actually be doing shunpo in your first actual hohō lesson so where would you get your example from? But seriously I totally believe you did accomplish something, just not actual shunpo you know." He started shoveling food in his face and Hitsugaya upped his glare at the idiot who interrupted him. "Oh and I'm a first year like you and we share our kidō and zanjutsu classes! Not that you don't know since I'm sure you've noticed my stunning performance these past few weeks."

Hitsugaya's glare died down at this. Was this guy seriously for real?

Abruptly abandoning his breakfast without a word - the idiot could dump his tray for him - Hitsugaya left without replying to the shout, "Hey where are you going? I'm not done with breakfast yet!"

Unfortunately for Hitsugaya, the idiot managed to catch up to him. He started chattering "Oh man, did you need to use the bathroom urgently or something? You sure got out of the canteen quick!" Not wanting to resign himself to being stuck with the idiot for awhile, Hitsugaya turned to him and said in the coldest voice he could muster, "Look, I don't like you, I don't want your company and I would really appreciate it if you just turned around and walked off now."

Kurumadani stared at him in shock.

Hitsugaya, mildly satisfied at having gotten his point across, was about to leave when Kurumadani said, "Whoa I think that's the most words you've said since you entered this Academy!"

He immediately glared.

The next moment, it intensified when an arm was slung over his shoulder and Kurumadani's voice became a little urgent. "Look kid, I don't think you understand. I'm trying to help you here! There's this little hierarchy going on around here, and you've been blatantly defying it for the past few weeks. People have been letting it slide because you're new and you are a kid, and no one likes to pick fights with a kid, but you've gotta stop doing stuff like that man. They won't send people to beat you up, since you're a child, but they can still make life very tough for you."

Kurumadani hadn't noticed that he had said the _forbidden_ word in front of Hitsugaya. A vein started throbbing in his forehead.

"Fortunately for you, kid," another throb, "this is where I come in. With the help of one of Soul Society's future elite shinigamis, you'll have no problems learning to how to stay in the Academy without offending the people you shouldn't!"

Mentally telling himself that killing this idiot was _not_ worth it, Hitsugaya breathed in deeply, hurled his arm off with as little force as his irritated self would allow, and stalked off quickly.

It didn't work. The idiot forcibly occupied the seat next to him during kidō theory class but thankfully shut up to listen when the lecture actually begin. Halfway through the lecture though, when the idiot noticed him actually taking down the incantation for Bakudō (8) Seki, he spoke up, "Hey why are you copying the incantation? Don't you have the book?"

Poking him when Hitsugaya didn't reply, much to his irritation, Kurumadani just would not give up and continued, "You know you totally should get the book. It has some pretty useful tips for casting kidō and all the incantations are accurately written down in it! It's a total must-have for any student studying kidō." As the idiot's voice got progressively louder, the student in front turned around to glare at them, and when Kurumadani just would not _stop_, Hitsugaya gave him a good kick in the shin. "OW!" the loud yell attracted the attention of the entire auditorium, but Hitsugaya's head was already buried in his notes. He felt a whole lot better now.

After the lecture, the idiot continued to stick to him, and Hitsugaya was mentally calculating the emotional hurt he would leverage on this guy if he just bluntly came out and told him in a much harsher way to leave him alone, he was annoying, he did not want to make friends with him and he sincerely hoped that they would never again interact for the rest of their lives. Just as he was deciding that Kurumadani would get over it and got ready to execute this emotional hurt, Kurumadani said, "You know I have an extra kidō book because I forgot I asked someone to buy it and went on to ask someone else. I could sell it to you."

Hitsugaya immediately halted his emotional attack. "Where is it?"

"Whoa seriously? That's great! I've been looking to get rid of the book for some time and I thought I was gonna have to wait until the new batch of students come in! I have a lesson now, how about I pass it to you during lunch?"

Hitsugaya changed his opinion. Kurumadani was totally a useful idiot after further evaluation. The kidō book proved to be more than useful and Hitsugaya immediately understood why all the students were willing to break the school rules - the book was illegal for them to possess - to buy it. Part of the school's graduation criteria was that everyone had to be able to perform a Bakudō and a Hadō spell of every single grade from 1 to 30. The book contained clear explanations for some of the more common kidō spells graded from 1 to 40, which was already ten spells past the entire curriculum for all six years. Hitsugaya almost felt like he could succeed in kidō too if he read and understood this book. The next day during kidō practice, Kurumadani was automatically next to him asking "So? Was the book any useful for you?" Deciding to grace the helpful idiot with an answer, Hitsugaya's reply didn't make it out of his mouth because the kidō instructor overheard Kurumadani and glared at him.

Saruwatari Michiyo said, "I know a lot of students buy books they _are not meant to have_, and I know it's hard to stop them but I have to remind and advise students that relying solely on the book is not enough! If your understanding of those explanations are incorrect, you could seriously mess up your spells," the instructor frowned at them. "It's more important to pay attention in lessons!"

But when Hitsugaya _finally _succeeded in his first kidō spell, he didn't really care what the teacher had lectured them on.

* * *

><p>It was rather clear to Hitsugaya that his zangetsu instrutor, Amami Kojima, had no intention of swapping out his kodachi - swords were kept in the practice rooms and only handed out then - for an actual katana. Or allowing anyone to fight him. This was a fact Kurumadani pointed out to him too and Hitsugaya, pissed with the situation, snapped at him for it. Stuck observing the rest of the class for the nth time, Hitsugaya focused his attentions on Kurumadani this time and watched. Kurumadani was better than Hitsugaya expected.<p>

But sharp eyes observed the openings he displayed and glanced back down at his kodachi, wondering if he could exploit the openings in any opponent he saw. It wasn't enough to merely see an opening. Only a strike that contacted was an actual strike. And the kodachi really did not seem like his kind of weapon. He would have preferred to swing around a katana like everyone else.

If the teacher was not going to change his weapon, his only option was calling out his _true _weapon. But when he was in his inner world while he was sleeping, his confrontations with the dragon went nowhere. The mountains seemed to grow even shorter from the last time he was there, but the winds still howled and blew away the dragon's voice. And no matter how hard he tried to walk towards the dragon, the winds would blow him back as well and Hitsugaya would find himself even further away from it. It was getting more than a little frustrating.

If this was his inner world, you would think he had control over it and should be able to get these stupid winds from howling to hear his zanpakutō. But no matter how much he tried, concentrated, ordered, screamed, the winds just kept blowing and the dragon just kept roaring.

At least the dragon stopped hurling itself at the mountains now, content that they would somehow fall on its own without his continuing efforts.

That night, he tried _jinzen_ for the first time. Instead of getting dragged into his inner world every night by the dragon, perhaps entering his inner world under his own volition would change the situation. But of course, he had just been too optimistic.

"Why won't this stupid wind stop howling!" He finally burst out. "I can't hear anything you're saying and it doesn't matter how many times I'm dragged here, or if I manage to get here on my own if this wind won't stop howling for me to hear you! TELL ME! What am I supposed to do to hear you! How do I get this wind to stop! What are you trying to say to me all the time?"

Perhaps it was the desperation in his voice. How many nights now has he been dragged into this inner world to listen the howls of this dragon? How many years in Rukongai had it been? He couldn't remember how to actually sleep without dreaming of an icy world of winds and dragons. But perhaps it was the desperation that finally made the dragon hear him.

And let him hear the dragon.

_**Quiet**_.

It was a whisper, and having been faced with only the sounds of the elements for so long, Hitsugaya was more than a little startled. "WHAT?"

_**Quiet your troubles, your heart's concerns, and the winds will stop.**_

"Hey WAIT! Is that actually you! Why can I hear you now?" But the dragon suddenly curled up on the ground and appeared to go to sleep. For the first time ever, it wasn't screaming anything at him.

"You can't just say something so horribly vague and deliberately mysterious-like and then go to sleep!"

What were his troubles, and what were his heart's concerns? He came here to avoid freezing his Granny to death, and possibly to quiet the raging dragon within him. What troubles did he have? The winds that howled since before he came here, would they be caused by his irritation with the gossip and whispers from the villagers? Life in Junrinan wasn't hard. He didn't have the troubles of having to find food and shelter. The villagers who liked to murmur things behind his back like the denizens that filled the academy's hallways, were those his troubles?

Rumours. Mutterings.

If he stopped caring about them, would the winds stop raging?

"If I promise to stop caring about them whispering behind my back, will the winds stop!"

The dragon shifted in its sleep and didn't reply him.

"I don't have anything else to be troubled by!"

Hitsugaya glared at the dragon.

"Is it Granny? Am I worried about her? I am but I'll check up on her frequently!"

Another shift.

"I'll stop being irritated by the word 'child'!"

This time, the dragon opened an eye and glared at him with a look that said "I can't believe he's so dumb."

"If you're my zankpakutō, give me a hint!"

The dragon opened both eyes and glared even harder. He snorted at Hitsugaya in dismissal.

"That attitude is being counterproductive!"

* * *

><p>Since that night, the dragon did not speak to him. Which was horrendously unfair. The silence he almost permanently surrounded himself with after that was often broken by Kurumadani. "So Hitsugaya-kun, who do you have back in Rukongai?"<p>

In thanks for the kidō book he bought from the brunette, Hitsugaya tolerated his company. Unfortunately for Kurumadani, the time where he ran out of patience to deal with him was fast approaching.

"Family?" Hitsugaya deadpanned.

"So you _do_ have someone back in Rukongai! Heh, you really look like a loner so I wasn't really sure. But a small kid like you would surely have a family to take care of him huh." Hitsugaya reminded himself not to erupt and scream at Kurumadani for the 'kid' thing for the nth time. If he wanted to stop the winds from blowing, he had to try and remain as calm and zen as he could to "quiet his troubles" whatever that meant.

_Calm. Cool. Like ice. Breathe in, breathe out. Okay._ _I can handle him._

"I have my sister, and my brother, and my father, and my mother, and my grandfather, and a couple of uncles, and oh don't forget my cute baby cousin! The kids all say they want to be a shinigami like their big brother when they grow older." Kurumadani puffed out his chest with pride. "Hey! Are you just like them? Following your big brother into the Academy to be a shinigami?"

Hitsugaya scowled. "It's not a big brother!"

"Oh, so it's a big sister?"

The question froze Hitsugaya in his tracks. He had not told Hinamori about him being at the Academy because, well, it was a little hypocritical to end up at the very place he had often told her she shouldn't be at. And he wanted to impress her maybe _just a little_ and tell her about being here when he had something to show for it. Like a good test grade maybe.

But perhaps this was what the dragon meant by quieting his troubles? Maybe he needed to check up on Hinamori a little, see the sister he had been missing for awhile?

Was Hinamori Momo what he was troubled by?

The thought stuck with him until kidō practice, where they were practicing Hadō (#4) Byakurai for a change. More widely spaced than when they were practicing the previous spells, Hitsugaya was completely lost in his thoughts and his lack of concentration apparently showed. Saruwatari Michiyo-sensei, who had not been pleased ever since she found out Hitsugaya had bought the illegal book, practically marched up to him and said, "Hitsugaya-kun, let's see you try to hit the target."

"Wha-a?" He snapped out of his thoughts to see her glaring at him hard. Beside him, Kurumadani gulped and privately wished him good luck.

From the expectant way she was staring at him, he accurately deduced she was waiting for him to demonstrate the kidō spell. "Oh. Er Hadō no Yon, Byakurai!"

The pale white lightning shot from his finger and struck the target as expected. Knowing he did perfectly alright, he did not really understand the shocked look on the instructor's face. Hitsugaya frowned at her.

"Dude!" Kurumadani spoke up.

"What?" He bit out.

"You performed eishōhaki! And got it to work!"

Hitsugaya blinked and looked at his own hand.

The instructor was still staring at him. Hitsugaya didn't think it was anything to apologize for, and stared back until she finally just said, "Good job. But using eishōhaki weakens the effect of the spell, so avoid it in class please. For your first year at least," and stalked off.

By the loud voice Kurumadani was currently using, Hitsugaya couldn't say he didn't expect the other students to overhear, whip their heads around to stare at him, and return to their friends to whisper.

_"Eishōhaki? It's supposed to be really hard skipping the incantation."_

_"My brother is a fifth year, and he told me if you try eishōhaki at our level, it probably wouldn't work because the spell would be too weak."_

Great, more gossip.

* * *

><p>"I figured it out!" Hitsugaya shouted.<p>

"It's Bed-wetter Momo right! I'm not really that troubled by her, so could you get this wind to stop!"

The dragon stared at him with another "I can't believe he's so dumb" look.

"I care about her and everything, and I'm worried about her being a shinigami, but those are just normal troubles! You can't expect me to put them down!"

Sensing another hopeless night, the dragon settled down to sleep.

"You are not really helping me out here!"

And Hitsugaya, who had gained the hope of perhaps finally talking to the dragon when it had responded, could hear the frustration creep back into his voice.

"You rotten dragon! Stop pretending to sleep! I know you don't actually do it!"

* * *

><p>"Hinamori Momo!"<p>

"Yes!" she shot up from her desk when the mailman called. Unseated shinigami rarely got mail, and Hinamori was rather surprised by it. Her closest friends from the Academy were all here in the 5th Division with her, so there wasn't really anyone who would send her a letter.

Receiving it from the mailman with thanks, Hinamori read the neatly written "Hinamori Momo, 5th Division" on the envelope before opening it.

_Bed-wetter Momo,_

_I'm now studying in the Academy. Pop by if you're free._

_Toushirou._

Hinamori blinked and had to read the letter twice. "What's that letter you got there, Hinamori?"

"Oh, Abarai-kun!" She raced over and gave him a big hug. "My brother is here!"

"Your brother? Shiro-chan?"

"Yes! He's studying at the Academy now! I have to go and see him, do you think I'll be able to leave on time today?"

"Well, if you finish your work on time."

Hinamori immediately sped back to her table and started seriously scanning the documents on it.

Shiro-chan was here!

* * *

><p>"Shiro-chan who always hated me becoming a shinigami is here himself now! Did you come because you missed me?"<p>

"Who misses you, Bed-wetter Momo." Hitsugaya scowled at her. He was totally going to prove to the dragon that his heart was _fine. _"And stop calling me that."

"Ah, I still remember my own days back here! It wasn't that long ago that I graduated from here myself," she completely ignored him. "But being a shinigami is way better than being a student. Bet you can't wait until your own graduation!"

"How is it like, being a shinigami?"

"Well, there's a whole lot of paperwork, even for an unseated shinigami like me. And the training is tougher, and you have less free time but you can't complain much since it's part of your job. Making friends in the division is fun too, though I still hang out mostly with Kira-kun and Abarai-kun. We were sent out on missions to the Real World in squads a few times, but nothing much really happened, just a few weak Hollows and some souls to send over here. And I haven't had much opportunity to interact with Aizen-taichou," she shrugged a little sheepishly, "but he's a taichou and I don't even have a seat so it's understandable." A gleam came into her eyes, "I'm going to work extra extra hard to get a seat and rise through the ranks! My goal is to be the best fukutaichou Aizen-taichou ever had!"

Not very happy at the mention of Aizen (_him again), _Hitsugaya asked, "Fukutaichou huh. How long is that going to take you, Bed-wetter Momo. I heard that it could take decades to even earn a seat."

"Stop calling me Bed-wetter Momo," she pouted. "And yes, it's true that it takes the average shinigami decades to earn a seat even, but I've been training on my own and getting a lot better in kidō. I think I can earn a seat when the Officer Placement Exams comes along."

Hitsugaya frowned. "There are exams when you're in the divisions too?"

"They are held about once every five years to determine what rank you should hold and see if you've improved over the years. It's coming up soon so I've been spending all my free time training," she stuck out her tongue. "But each division has their own way of promoting shinigami. Only a few implement the Officer Placement Exams." she continued. "Don't just spend your time training for your Aizen-taichou and forget to rest," he replied disapprovingly.

"Of course I know how to take care of myself, Shiro-chan. How about you! How has life at the Academy been? How long have you been here anyway? Since the school year started? I can't believe you didn't tell me the minute you got here!"

"I'm fine, it's okay, awhile, not really."

She took a while to process his answers and asked, "Were you a latecomer?"

"Yeah. Some crazy lady dragged me here and the school year already started one month ago."

"Oh dear, how are you coping with your classes? Are you behind by a lot? Do you need help? You could always get one of the older students to tutor you."

"I'm doing fine and I don't need their help anyway." His tone was rather distasteful.

Hinamori stopped and took a good look at him. "What's wrong Shiro-chan?" her voice was soft.

"Nothing much."

She waited patiently.

Hitsugaya sighed and rolled his eyes. "They just gossip and whisper a lot."

"Oh."

"It's nothing much anyway."

"Is it because you're a child?" Hitsugaya almost snapped at her for mentioning the now almost-forbidden word in front of him, but then stopped and reminded himself this was Hinamori. "Something like that."

"You know, they may be right."

Hitsugaya stared at Hinamori rather disbelievingly. "You're just a little kid Shiro-chan," she stared down at him. "Being a shinigami is really dangerous, and things can go wrong even when you're in the Academy, and-"

"Aren't you the pot calling the kettle black?" he snapped at her.

"I'm quite a bit older than you, Shiro-chan. And," she gazed at him worriedly, "you're so young! And small and just... how do you even participate in your lessons?"

"I'll be fine," he bit out. "Can't we talk about something else?"

Sensing how stubborn he was being and knowing the conversation was a lost cause for now, she nodded and said, "I'll be back to persuade you. It's possible to leave the Academy even after enrolling if you give a valid excuse. I would certainly say that anyone who looks at you would easily understand how young you are."

She sighed, "I was really happy just now when I found out you were here you know." She patted him on the head, "And now I'm just really worried for you." Apparently that was her cue to leave.

"I should really go to my night training now. Stay out of trouble Shiro-chan."

Hitsugaya bit his lip, sighed and just said, "You too, Bed-wetter Momo."

* * *

><p>If it was anyone else, he would probably have said something a lot worse than just "I'll be fine." He could almost accept the doubts from anyone else but if Granny could understand and let him go to the Academy knowing it'll be dangerous and knowing he was a child, how could Hinamori not?<p>

_You told Granny about the roaring dragon. Did you tell her?_

Well, no, but wasn't she a shinigami? Shouldn't she know that when your zanpakutō called and wouldn't _stop_ _CALLING_ every single night, you had to answer that call?

Hitsugaya stared down at the floor from where he was sitting on his bed. He had made his choice.

_**He could hear a voice. It resounds far away and near, and he had decided to press on,**_

_**even if he died on this ice field.**_

Wasn't that his choice?

What right did Hinamori Momo have to protest when he was walking the same path as her, towards becoming a shinigami?

What right did _anyone_ have to protest, and gossip, and whisper, and just won't stop _**talking**__?_

Hitsugaya stared at the faraway slumbering dragon, a look of melancholy in his eyes. "Do the winds keep blowing because I'm bothered by the people talking at me?" The dragon opened one eye. Looked at him. But said nothing. Belatedly remembering he had already asked it once about the gossip and whispers and gotten it wrong, he blinked at it slowly. "Do the winds keep blowing because whenever I hear people talking about me, they make me feel like I don't belong?" the last part he whispered as soft as he could.

The dragon straightened and came closer, even though Hitsugaya didn't notice as he was staring at the icy ground in front of him. A strange ache had formed in his heart. He had never said it to himself or even allowed himself to have that thought because by admitting it, he felt like he was agreeing with them all.

That he really did not belong anywhere.

And it hurt.

Cold scales slid against his skin but they did not burn him. Instead, a voice said,

_**For my Master who has finally admitted it, you can only solve a problem if you admit it exists, do you not?**_

"But I-" his throat closed painfully.

The dragon waited patiently.

"I want it," he confessed. "I really want to find a place where I belong. Where people won't talk behind my back about how I shouldn't be there and how I'm unnatural and how I should just-" He was seriously going to cry any moment.

_**For my Master who has finally admitted it**_¸ the dragon repeated, _**how could I give him anything less than the best to aid him in finding his place?**_

Back in the real world, a sword began to form in Hitsugaya's fist. A katana longer than he was tall, a light blue hilt and a dark blue sheath. A four-pointed bronze colored star for a guard.

_**I am Hyōrinmaru.**_

_~end._


	4. Dangerous

**Chapter 3: Discovery**

His first zanjutsu lesson since obtaining his zanpakutō, was met with silence from his class and instructor. Even Kurumadani shut his mouth for once.

When he insisted on participating for once, with a quietly hard voice and a glare, Amamo-sensei reluctantly agreed and paired the second shortest person in the class with him. His partner, a guy he didn't know, was still at least two heads taller than him. Staring at his zanpakutō with awe, Hitsugaya made to quickly snap him out of it. If he could prove himself in this practice class, maybe the instructor would _finally_ start treating him as an actual student.

He had his initial doubts about the length of his zanpakutō, but Hyourinmaru made it absolutely clear that a zanpakutō was meant to complement and not inconvenience. Hitsugaya had quickly understood his meaning. With his own height being what it was, taller enemies and opponents meant they were further away to hit. The long sword extended his reach, and weeks of getting pummeled in hakuda - though not very seriously because everyone was afraid of permanently hurting the _child - _had opened him to other ways he could level the playing field.

His opponent started with a weak slash that Hitsugaya easily smacked aside with his own zanpakutō. In the world of Soul Society, strength was not decided by size and appearance, but rather by the amount of reiryoku you held. And being a _child_ – Hitsugaya almost sneered – had no bearing on that. Hitsugaya pulled his own sword back and quickly followed through with a pretty slow jab, allowing his opponent to quickly recover and block with his own asauchi. With something blocking the front of his opponent's body, and thus the assurance that he would not be hurt too badly, Hitsugaya no longer hesitated. He _**slammed**_ his own zanpakutō against the asauchi and _**hurled**_ his opponent clear away from the mats.

He felt slightly sorry for the guy as he crash landed on the floor with a loud groan. It had been a brutally short fight.

Amamo was immediately on him. "Hitsugaya! What did we say about excessive force in the class!"

Hitsugaya stared at her and threw the question back, "What _did_ we say?"

Blinking at the realization this was the first time Hitsugaya was actually taking part in the class, she just said, "Don't do that again. People, get back to your practice!" She carefully eyed the rest of the class before picking "Nakamura! Switch opponents!" His previous opponent quickly got up and left, staring at him in abject fear. Ignoring the whispers _(again)_ he readied his blade. Nakamura was at least three heads taller than him but when using Hitsugaya's height as a gauge, almost everyone sounded like a giant. The instructor was apparently still being worried about people harming him despite how he had ... well, demolished his previous opponent. Nakamura was a little bit of the class joker from what he observed. To prove his point right, the friendly guy smiled at him in a sunshine manner and said, "Let's just have a little easy practice fight." Hitsugaya understood the guy, he really did. Nakamura didn't want any trouble and he didn't want to cause anyone else any trouble.

Hitsugaya promised he would apologize to him at the end of this lesson. But he really needed to prove himself or he could forget about participating in subsequent practices.

Nakamura gestured with his hand, the other on the hilt of his asauchi. "Please start the fight Hitsugaya-kun." Hitsugaya would make him regret that. Getting off to a running start, he sliced his zanpakutō upwards. Quickly yanking it back when Nakamura failed to block it, Hitsugaya almost unbalanced himself. Grimacing at the thought of fighting an opponent he had to work at _not_ harming, he watched as Nakamura shifted stunned eyes at his blade and Hitsugaya before his own gaze became more serious. Both standing extremely close to each other, Nakamura lifted and slammed down his asauchi. Blocking it from a strange position, being so much shorter than the other guy, Hitsugaya found he had almost no leverage to push the sword off and away from him. He decided to do something dangerously stupid. He stopped blocking and dived. Forcing his muscles to release the position they held to protect him from getting his head sliced off was one of the hardest things he had ever done. As his arms slacked away, he dived across the mat mentally praying he was quick enough, and hastily spun in position to see a surprised and unbalanced Nakamura almost fall to the ground before catching himself. Hitsugaya did not let him recover from that. He darted in with a yell, hoping Nakamura heard it soon enough to react, and the shocked man slipped on the mat and crashed onto the floor. He dropped his asauchi.

It hadn't been so much a fight but more like an exercise in instilling fear and shocking an opponent. Hitsugaya wasn't exactly proud of it, but he wanted someone new and more skilled to fight with so it wouldn't end up in such an awkward result. His muscles ached slightly from suddenly releasing its hold on Nakamura's blow. The two bowed, and Nakamura shakily grinned before saying, "No hard feelings." Hitsugaya nodded slightly in acknowledgement, "Sorry about that," and flicked his eyes to the wall clock. Less than thirty minutes of practice time left. He turned to look at his instructor. If he didn't do something quick, she was just going to return him to the sidelines for the next practice. He had no real basis to predict this of her, but he _really_ didn't want to end back up at the sides of the room.

Nakamura glanced around and called for someone else to switch opponents from him. Perhaps the other student sensed that Hitsugaya needed a stronger opponent, or maybe he was trying to save a friend from _this_ particular guy. Either way, Hitsugaya got his wishes. Nakamura found him the strongest and most obnoxious guy in their zanjutsu class. Hitsugaya had only caught his family name before. Okada, apparently some minor noble from ... somewhere. He also happened to be the fattest and largest guy in the class, with squinty eyes and thick lips. Okada sneered at Hitsugaya. "Nakamura! You're asking me to fight him? Cheh," he said dismissively, "that zanpakutō is probably fake anyway. Don't know where you got that from, but you're gonna get in a lot of trouble lugging that around. Couldn't even pick a sword shorter than you. Not that it's easy to do that kid." It was as if the gods themselves had sent down this golden opportunity for Hitsugaya. Here was an opponent who was annoying, obnoxious and arrogant. Hitsugaya definitely wouldn't feel sad having to whack him around. At the same time, he seemed to have a modicum of skill so Hitsugaya wouldn't need to hold back.

He lifted his zanpakutō and prepared himself. Hitsugaya was going to force this guy to scream and yell so loudly, the instructor would not even _think_ of not allowing him to participate anymore.

Okada held a standard asauchi, which meant it was a standard katana with a plain oval crossguard. The blade was not any different from the one he faced in Nakamura's hands earlier, but Okada held it differently. Confidently. Hitsugaya clenched his own zanpakutō tight with both hands. Okada laughed at him, "You probably have to use both hands otherwise you wouldn't be able to lift up your zanpakutō, wouldn't you ki-!" He never got to finish that last word Hitsugaya had _long_ started to regard as an insult. With both hands on Hyourinmaru, he ran in and darted to the left. Slicing his zanpakutō at Okada from Okada's right, Okada did not waver. He matched Hitsugaya's blow with even greater strength. The small boy was almost hurled to the floors! Quickly regaining his footing, he darted backwards to avoid the incoming blow from Okada. Unlike Nakamura, there was no hesitation, no uncertainly and no unwillingness to harm him. Hitsugaya jumped another step backwards. He prepared his blade, and went in once more. Okada wasn't idle, and he favored slamming attacks down from above, taking advantage of his height and greater strength. Hard-pressed, Hitsugaya grimaced. Okada was not going to allow what he pulled on Nakamura earlier. Struggling under yet another blow, his legs buckled and Hitsugaya sank to the floor. Okada released him and prepared for another blow. As fast as his body would allow him to, Hitsugaya rolled himself sideways. Okada's blade crashed down on the floor where he had been, even as Hitsugaya came to a crouch on his feet, and returned both hands to Hyourinmaru. He angled it sideways and before Okada could expect it, Hitsugaya **_lunged._ **

Okada brought his blade up and stabbed towards him. Hitsugaya allowed it to connect with his own zanpakutō and the two blades slid fiercely against his other. Sparks flew as metal screeched against metal. Hitsugaya pushed sideways to knock the zanpakutō away before quickly flipping his blade and slicing in under Okada's arm. He did not hesitate. Hyourinmaru hacked away the non-protective uniform and _sliced_ a cut in Okada's skin. The man jerked backwards with a loud yell, pain shooting up his right side and dropped his zanpakutō. Not finished, Hitsugaya did not stop his own momentum. He went down on the floor and spun, taking advantage of the bigger man's shock, kicking out one of Okada's legs from under him. His foot gave way and he tumbled onto the ground, even as Hitsugaya stood up. He kicked the asauchi away and smoothly placed his blade at Okada's neck. "Do you yield?"

Okada breathed heavily and stared at Hitsugaya in shock. The entire class was silenced.

Despite receiving no reply, Hitsugaya removed his blade and took a step away from Okada. Big mistake.

The incensed noble did not take well to being bitten by a child. Angrily, he **threw** himself at Hitsugaya, wanting to crush him with his bare hands. The mat slid under his feet, but Okada never stopped. His eyes saw red. His eyes only saw Hitsugaya. When the shock quickly faded, Hitsugaya found _himself_ angered by the utter lack of class Okada was showing. Three quick flash steps, and Hitsugaya was behind Okada and he slammed his own body into Okada's with all his strength. The unsupported man flew further than Okada expected and soared, crashing outside the mat. Hitsugaya was already waiting. Blade at his neck once more, he hissed at the noble "I won't ask you again."

An unnatural silence permeated the room.

The bell rang.

Hitsugaya released Okada and left without looking back.

If the instructor didn't let him participate in lessons the next time, he was going to challenge _her_ and see where it led.

* * *

><p>"Hitsugaya! It's your turn for the class demonstrations. Please demonstrate the bakudō you are most skilled at."<p>

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini. Look upon yourself in horror and tear out your throat. Bakudō no Kyuu, Hōrin!"

Two dummies were grabbed and smashed together in mid-air.

"Er g-g good job. That wasn't in your syllabus for this year, but g-good job. Perfect execution."

* * *

><p>"Hitsugaya-kun, do you think you could try getting from here to-. Oh, nicely done Hitsugaya-kun, that was really quick."<p>

* * *

><p>"Hitsugaya! Since when has <em>jumping<em> been allowed in hakuda?"

"You didn't say it wasn't. And I beat him anyway didn't I?"

* * *

><p>At the end of that week, Hitsugaya received notification from the Chief Instructor that he was to be moved up to the second year, though the Chief Instructor also said something about keeping his attitude in check and curbing his arrogance. Apparently, several instructors had complained about his attitude in class though Hitsugaya didn't see why those teachers couldn't just say it to his face like they should have, instead of running off and complaining to the Chief Instructor like whining children. Like everything the Chief Instructor told him before, he ignored the last part. He really had a rather horrible opinion of all his instructors.<p>

Kurumadani reacted to this with a lot of shock and a lot of awe. "It's like you're a changed person this week man! If you started doing this well from the start, I'm sure they would have moved you up sooner! It's only been a month since you started! Two months since the start of the school year, and they think you're good enough for second year!"

"Look at you though. It's like you seriously don't care."

Busy polishing Hyourinmaru with a cloth, Hitsugaya really didn't.

"What are you doing here anyway Kurumadani."

"Well today's your last day as my classmate! Can't I pop by to say goodbye?"

"It's not like I'm leaving the academy."

Kurumadani straightened immediately, "That's right! I'll still see you around. Hey promise me you'll help me with my schoolwork! Since you already passed the first year and everything, I bet it's really easy for you now."

"We'll see how. I might be too busy with the second year workload since I'm only starting two months in."

"I'm sure it'll be a breeze for a genius like you Hitsugaya!"

Hitsugaya's hand froze in the midst of polishing his sword. "Is that what they are calling me now?"

"Wha-a? What?" Kurumadani quickly recovered, "Well yeah! Of course man! You came in a month late and by the end of the month, you've got your zanpakutō and you're moving up to the second year! That's almost comparable to like Ichimaru-taichou! Or Shiba-fukutaichou!"

"Who?"

"You don't know them? Seriously, you have to know these names if you're going to become an elite shinigami like me! Ichimaru Gin, he's the Captain of the 3rd Division. He completed his education here in just one year. And before him was Shiba Kaien, the Lieutenant of the 13th Division. He finished school in two years! They are both regarded as geniuses."

"Huh."

_Freak._

_Child._

And now _Genius_.

Was he really? He didn't think the first year curriculum had been all that tough once he got into it and actually understood what was going on. Did the other students think it was tough? Is this what made him a genius?

He didn't know, and he didn't like the thought of more people talking more about him.

Hyourinmaru had told him they would work together to find a place for Hitsugaya where he felt like he could belong. _**The winds may continue to howl, but it will never rob me of my voice again**_.

Was this a good development or a bad one? If people felt that he was a _genius_, would they accept his presence here in the Gotei 13 and leave him alone? There were those who would argue that he should try to keep a low profile in order to fit in better. But Hitsugaya instinctively understood that if he tried to do so, he would not be seeking acceptance.

_**Indeed, that would be hiding. And dragons don't hide.**_ Hyourinmaru even sniffed a little.

Hitsugaya smiled. _Thank you Hyourinmaru,_ and returned to his polishing.

"Hey Hitsugaya, remember what I told you about the hierarchy in the Academy?"

He did vaguely remember something like that but he honestly did not feel it was something important he had to be concerned with.

"Now that you've moved up a year, it's really important that you pay more attention to it. People are not going to treat you like a newbie anymore, and since you've shown yourself to be pretty good at your studies, they are not gonna hold back that much. Are you listening Hitsugaya? God it's like I'm worried and the guy is completely ignoring me!"

"I'll be fine Kurumadani. What's the worst they could do?"

* * *

><p><em>Famous last words Toushirou<em>, he said to himself.

The first week had gone pretty well. He was coping in his lessons and had even signed up for two electives, History and Military Strategy. He had continued to ignore his classmates and maintain a cold façade, to Hyourinmaru's consternation.

_**How are you to find a place to belong if you won't even acknowledge anyone?**_

_I don't need to associate with them to know it's definitely not where I would belong, _he had quipped back.

He was in the third class of his second year due to the teachers' fear that he may not be able to cope well with the second year curriculum. It was just his luck that his class was mostly populated by less than talented nobles who found it highly offensive for a _child_ to join them suddenly two months into the school year. From what he observed, these nobles also found it personally offending for the _commoner child_ not to hurl himself at their feet, swearing to cater to their every demand.

In a way, he should have seen this coming.

One of the commoners who _did_ cater himself to the nobles' every need had seen it fit to execute a little prank on him. Giving him false directions, Hitsugaya had soon found himself hopelessly lost in the old abandoned parts of the school.

It was also horrendously cliché for there to be parts of the school that were old, dusty, and in danger of falling apart.

He could sense a large mass of reiatsu in a certain direction and knew that it had to be the canteen where numerous students and staff were congregating at. Unfortunately, all the corridors that he picked going towards that direction somehow ended up in dead ends. He had already missed three classes. To say he was mildly frustrated and pissed off was an understatement.

Right as he was comparing the pros and cons of _blasting another damned dead end he had come across__, _he heard voices.

"It works, it works!"

"Keep your voice _down_ Saionji!" Another voice hissed. "We don't want the whole school to hear us."

"It's fine, you said yourself that this part of the school is deserted. No one would come here for fear of the whole place collapsing down on their heads."

"Don't even mention that. I'm still scared of that happening."

"Relax, we've done a whole lot of work securing this place. It's not gonna happen. Ended up with a bunch of dead ends though, but it was unavoidable. We had to put up those new supporting walls somewhere. Thankfully, this secret passage we tunneled _worked!_ HAHA, I still can't believe it did!"

"Yeah whatever, now let's get out of here. Place gives me the creeps."

"We'll be coming down here more and more often you know. With the place secure and the passageway settled, we can finally move on with the next phase."

"Shut up! You know we're not supposed to say anything about it."

"Actually, there are some parts I'm unsure of…"

The voices gradually trailed away. Hitsugaya never moved from the wall he was hiding behind. In a life where people liked to talk about him behind his back, Hitsugaya had learnt to listen and observe. There were those who would call it eavesdropping, but he had never obtained any truly useful information from it. It just occasionally amused and entertained him as he listened about who was cheating on who and who had done what. But now … if that wasn't a highly suspicious conversation, he would eat his zanpakutō. On the plus side, he had found a way out of here. If Saionji and his friend were to be believed, there were a lot more dead ends around here than he had encountered, and getting out via this secret passage was the easiest way out. And as for what they were doing here, well, his classes were over and he wasn't desperate for dinner.

Maybe he could take a little look around this secret passage? Find out what it led to? He knew how to get out, and he should probably wait for the two students to leave the other end of the passage, wherever that was. Dusting off his shoulder, Hitsugaya paid closer attention to the rooms around him as he started walking around. Having only tried to find a way out earlier, sharp eyes focused on catching things he may have missed.

Opting to go straight instead of turning left, Hitsugaya took two steps down the corridor before freezing. The left corridor…Turning back, it was very easy for someone to see that this corridor was _a lot_ cleaner than the rest of this abandoned part of the school. The usual debris like rotten wooden planks, dusty floors and strangely stained walls were also missing from here.

Carefully making his way down the hallway, Hitsugaya walked into the first room along the corridor. Initially expecting an old classroom, it was an old storage room instead. Large cardboard boxes lined the walls, and the room was just as clean as the corridor outside. _Did someone decided to use this part of the school to store things? _He eyed the stacked boxes, and approached the only box without others on top of it. Easily lifting it up, he conjured a kidō light and directed it at the ground. Floors with objects on top of it always turned out cleaner and lighter than floors without, simply because it had something shielding it from the dust that would settle everywhere overtime.

It was clear to Hitsugaya that the boxes had been there before Saionji's gang came to clean the place up. Carefully opening one of the boxes to avoid anyone discovering his presence later on, he frowned at the contents he could not recognize. The boxes were filled with plastic bags storing small, coin-shaped discs. Hitsugaya didn't think they were an old form of Soul Society currency, and he couldn't figure out what they were. He thought through it for awhile.

While it had been a highly suspicious conversation, those two may have been students that the teachers had recruited to clean up the place so that the teachers could continue using the old part of the school for storage, and to get access to these old teaching resources. The entire affair could be innocent and Hitsugaya interfering may only cause trouble to the teachers.

On the other hand … if there was anything his History lessons taught him, it was that there was _always_ someone out to harm Soul Society and the shinigamis that protected it. He wasn't a commoner anymore, where eavesdropping on people only told him who was cheating on who. He was going to be a shinigami, and going to be part of the Gotei 13 that faced numerous plots year after year, plots that could have brought it down to its knees but were always foiled by its Captains. The thought of plans being hatched in the very academy that trained shinigamis was not a very far leap. Decision made, he carefully opened one of the packs, retrieved three of the discs and stowed them away in his pocket for further research. Putting it back into the box, he took one last look at the plastic packs before deciding that the discs wouldn't be missed. Closing up the box, he walked out of the first storage room to eye the other rooms down the hallway. It was getting late. They'd have to wait for another day.

* * *

><p>Claiming he fell ill to the teachers of the three classes he missed, Hitsugaya fell back into a normal school routine. He told himself to be a little more careful of the nobles and their cronies, worked hard in his studies as per usual, and even had lunch with Kurumadani once. He thought about retaliating against the nobles, but the thought steadily fell out of his mind as he found himself thinking more about the hallway, its rooms and the discs he constantly carried around.<p>

It would be three days before he figured out how to research on the discs. The teachers, who he actually had considered asking, had been quickly dismissed as there was a possibility the whole affair was innocent and students were generally not allowed to go to the old parts of the school anyway. He was not on good terms with any of them to ask either.

The idea of those discs possibly being old teaching resources stuck in his mind, and one afternoon, he went to the library and spent hours flipping through old papers written by students to see if they made any mention of it. He also checked with the librarian whether there were old records of how classes were conducted in the past. When she said no and stared at him a little suspiciously, Hitsugaya switched to saying he was curious about his own quick progress in his studies, and wondered if they were the result of improved teaching methods.

It was complete bullshit, and the librarian, who like everyone else in the academy knew about the student who had been promoted to the second year after a month, accepted the explanation and said that there was a possibility since over the years, the Gotei 13 had been seeing an increase in talented shinigami who completed the course in less than six years.

Hitsugaya thanked her, and seemingly dropped the subject.

Having hit a dead end in his research into the discs, Hitsugaya quickly found he had no time to research into them or return to that hallway. Second year studies proved to be more difficult than the first. He found himself actually needing to pay attention in kidō, and facing tougher opponents in hakuda and zanjutsu. At least hohō was still easy to him. His electives required him to write a great many essays and do additional research too, and all these made him a very busy student. When he had the time, he found himself communicating with Hyourinmaru instead, anything to bring him closer to that shikai release.

The discs and that hallway slowly lost priority until another month later.

Faced with an unexpected amount of free time, Hitsugaya had just finished the first day of his third year. The grapevine of the academy was at an all-time high. Whispers comparing him with people like Shiba Kaien and Ichimaru Gin had covered the entire school, driving Hitsugaya away from public places like the library and canteen. To pass his second year final exams, which he actually had to take unlike in his first year, he had locked himself up in his room for the past few nights and was slightly sick of it now.

It drove him to wander the lesser walked hallways of the school since the courtyard outside was also rather crowded. It was when he was passing through one of the hallways that he caught sight of Saionji.

After the day he discovered the clean hallway, Hitsugaya never saw Saionji again. He was a tall blonde, laughing and joking with his friends as they walked in the direction of the canteen. Forcing himself not to duck behind a wall and act suspiciously, Hitsugaya's eyes lazily tracked Saionji before he continued on his way. The laughter and jokes Saionji shared with his friends certainly did not paint him to be a suspicious individual. But Hitsugaya caught the tensed shoulders, pale pallor and eyebags on his face. Perhaps it was his studies. Hitsugaya had certainly looked like Saionji did after his first week at the school.

But there was just something about the way Saionji seemed, and the very existence of the secret passage itself.

With free time on his hands and a rapidly rising curiosity, Hitsugaya fingered the ever-present discs in his pocket and took off to the secret passage.

The first time he had made use of it, Hitsugaya found himself emerging out of the floor and into a cupboard. After listening and making sure there were no voices coming from outside, he had carefully opened the cupboard door to find himself in a storage room along a rarely travelled passage. He had inspected the floor of the cupboard and found the entire set-up to be quite ingenious. Had he not known there definitely _was_ a secret passageway there, he would never have expected the cupboard floor to be false. It had been very well-made.

The cautious way the passage had been hidden had made the entire affair seem not so innocent.

Starting to think that maybe, just _maybe, _it had been a bad idea to leave the whole matter alone for an entire month, he slowly lifted up the false bottom of the cupboard floor, straining his ears to pick up sounds drifting up from the passage. When he was sure he could not hear anything, Hitsugaya lowered himself down the small opening and down the ladder. It was thankful he was a small guy, otherwise Hyourinmaru might have clanked against the walls of the opening.

He didn't know how this secret passageway was formed, but it looked just like any hallway, ending in a door. Silently stalking down the passage, he pressed his ear against the door and reached out with his senses. No telling how many people Saionji worked with. Keeping his own reiatsu firmly locked down – thankfully he had attended the non-compulsory lesson on how to keep a firm hold on your reiryoku and took to it like a fish in water – he warily stepped out and paused again.

He frowned a little. The place seemed oddly cold.

Once he was sure there was really no one around, he proceeded down to the hallway with the room containing the small discs. The moment he arrived, he knew something was definitely different.

Unlike the silence the hallway had been filled with the last time, there was a bubbling sound that was clear to anyone who bothered to listen. And the entire hallway was freezing. The temperature had to be close to 0 or even lower.

Casting a quick glance into the first storage room and noting that none of the boxes had been moved as far as he could remember, he gently pushed opened the door to the room where the bubbling sound originated from.

And froze in his tracks.

A huge glass container stood right in front of him, and an ugly black metal box was placed directly beneath it, for reasons unknown. Glass tubes led away from the container, covering the whole room and dropping down to form what seemed like taps.

The liquid in the container just continued bubbling away, despite the freezing temperature, here in this room colder than ever.

But what caught Hitsugaya's attention was the translucent eerie green of the solution, reflecting his own image upon himself. Against the wall to his left, there was a clear sign saying "CAUTION: POISON."

He felt a shudder go down his spine. Yeah, maybe he _really _shouldn't have left this alone for a whole month.

* * *

><p><em>~end.<em>

_*_Hitsugaya wouldn't know, but Okada is from a minor noble family related to the Omaedas. The resemblance is deliberate.

*And the gods didn't send him that golden opportunity. I did.

*Not good at writing action scenes. I apologize for any inadequacies.


	5. Thinking

**Chapter 4: Ploy**

The eerie green solution continued bubbling away as a thoroughly shocked Hitsugaya stood right in front of it. Part of him was thinking that he should have expected something like that. He knew that Saionji was hiding something from the rest of the school. He knew that Saionji actually went to the lengths of creating a secret passage. He knew that there was a slight chance this was some dastardly plot to bring the Gotei 13 down.

But having only been a shinigami student for the past two months, he had also acknowledged that his thoughts and guesses could have been the result of a lifetime in Rukongai listening to villagers speculating about what happened behind those white walls and how schemes lurked around every corner.

So he could honestly say right now that he had not _truly_ expected this and the villagers were strangely spot-on with their gossip for once.

He needed to report this to a teacher, who needed to report this to the Headmaster, who needed to inform this to someone, _anyone_, in the Gotei 13. Whatever use these people had for poison, it was obviously not going to be for something good.

Mind running through what he had to report, Hitsugaya started to compile all the facts he had. There were an unknown number of perpetrators, but he knew there were at least two, Saionji and his friend. They had tunneled a secret passage to access this area of the school and had created supporting walls all over the place to prevent the roof from collapsing on their secret storage place. Saionji was looking extremely stressed, and from what he remembered overhearing, there was something about implementing the next phase of their plan when they confirmed they had an access route to the old part of the school. They had created poison and their plan somehow also included boxes of strange little discs that were likely to be old teaching resources left here after the school made the decision to stop using this place.

And there were also four other unexplored rooms along that hallway.

He didn't know what else could be worse than finding a vat of poison, but since he was already here…

Sneaking the door of the next room open, Hitsugaya found himself in a lab of some sort. Assuming this was where they cooked up their poison, he eyed the beakers, test tubes and glass containers filled with different kinds of liquid, strange powders and there was even some kidō light stored in glass orbs around the room. The red light freaked him out a little, and he couldn't identify any of the chemicals in the room anyway. He eyed the bank of computers along one side of the room and then decided to leave it to the professionals. He had little to no knowledge about how to use them and there would almost certainly be something in place to safeguard their information.

The fourth room was larger than the rest. And Hitsugaya, who thought himself impossible to stun after the poison thing, found himself thoroughly shocked once more. His hand instinctively went to Hyourinmaru, who was strapped to his back. Clutching the hilt so tightly his knuckles went white, his eyes could not have opened any further.

It was the first time he met the monsters he would spend the rest of his lifetime fighting against.

There were at least 30 in the room, all sedated and locked up in individual cages stacked up against one another. Some were bigger than the others. They came in all colors. They had claws, stings, serpentine bodies, lion heads, but what Hitsugaya found his eyes drawn to were the unmistakable features they had that proclaimed what they all were.

Holes in their chests. And white bone masks.

Hollows.

His textbooks had definitely not prepared him for this.

A horribly heavy feeling of dread weighed down on him and his feet were frozen to the ground. He couldn't have moved even if he wanted to. The hollows shifted in their cages every now and then, and every little sound they made was echoed by a horribly loud thump from Hitsugaya's heart. His hand shook where it clutched Hyourinmaru, and his teeth were clenched together so tightly it hurt. He didn't even dare to breathe loudly, fearful of awaking the hollows. Legs almost buckling and sending him to the ground, he slowly backed away, every soft noise making him wince.

Whatever Saionji and gang were planning, it was impossible for Hitsugaya to guess.

A quick check of the remaining two rooms showed no other surprises. One was a meeting room of sorts and the last was empty and had not even been cleaned.

He had clearly seen enough. Running down the hallway to get back to the secret passage, his mind was filled with such panic that he couldn't think straight at all. If he did, he would have realized that making such loud noises in the secret hideout of the bad guys was clearly not a good thing.

Fortunately for him, there was no one around.

Unfortunately for him, the false bottom of the cupboard had clearly been removed as he looked up from the foot of the ladder. There was nowhere to hide. Saionji stared right down at him. "Wha-a?"

Hitsugaya turned and _ran_.

Running back down the passage, the only thing he could think of was that, _**THIS IS NOT GOOD.**_

"Hey! Shit stop right there, how did you-!"

And there were three people on his tail. Could he take them on? He wasn't too sure of his chances. What year were they in?

"Ye lord, mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hadō no Sanjuuichi, SHAKKAHOU!" Barely dodging the destructive ball of red light Hitsugaya found his question answered. _At least fourth year. We don't start on the 30s until then. This is bad. And I'm just barely a third year! _The kidō light crashed into the wall next to him, and Hitsugaya found his vision blinded by the ensuing dust and concrete particles.

The next kidō spell was a Bakudō. "Bakudō no Kyuu, GEKI!" Not fancying his chances, he flash stepped away.

"Damnit where did the kid go! How did he get in here anyway! Shit, we are so dead."

Hiding behind a wall, he chose to stay near and listen to them to figure out more information to get out of this **alive. **_If they have hollows and poison, I don't think they would mind getting rid of me to keep their secrets. _His hand had yet to stop shaking from where he clutched Hyourinmaru, strapped against his back.

"Baki! You're going to stay here. Keep an eye on the entrance to make sure the kid doesn't get out that way. The two of us are going to hunt him down. If he manages to get out and this whole plot falls through, we're not gonna make it out alive." Saionji's tone was grim. And in that tone, Hitsugaya could hear his willingness to kill.

The last student who had stopped to cast the kidō spells caught up. "Maybe he doesn't know anything?" Another asked. Saionji quietly said, "Are you prepared to risk that?"

Hitsugaya had heard enough. If Baki was going to keep an eye on the secret passage, there was only one other way Hitsugaya knew to get out of here. Problem was, he hadn't been able to find it when he got lost a month ago. He had wandered around for three hours without ever finding his way back out through his original route, and the whole place was filled with so many dead ends and all the walls looked the same that it was impossible to get some kind of bearings. He could mark the walls himself now by scratching his sword against them, but who knew how close his pursuers were. If they heard him, Hitsugaya didn't think he could shake them off again.

Picking a random hallway and quietly running down it, he could only hope for the best.

_If you have any suggestions, now would be a great time to bring them up Hyourinmaru._

_**A dragon does not run or retreat.**_

_That's not really helping._

Coming across a rundown staircase, Hitsugaya paused to think. He had originally entered this part of the school from the second level. The secret passage was on the fourth. Testing the weight of the stairs and praying they would be able to support him, he walked down as fast as he dared to, and when he reached the second floor, he looked left and right and tried to decide which way to go.

Carefully visualizing things exactly as they were in the fourth floor, Hitsugaya spun around to look at the corridors available to him. He had ran from the secret passage and disappeared down the right corridor, away from the clean hallway. Then he had taken a left and ran straight to find this staircase and came straight down. He needed to go back towards the newer parts of the school, which was in the same direction of the secret passage, which was … right!

Praying he didn't get this wrong, Hitsugaya started running again and froze when he heard a shout from behind him. "Stop right there kid!"

He didn't care about noise now. He was almost certain he was in the right direction. If he could just-

A dead end loomed ahead.

He threw subtlety out the window.

"Hadō no Juuichi, TSUZURI RAIDEN!" The spell barely worked and only created a small hole that Hitsugaya wasted precious time getting though. His pursuers could not. "Damn it, -" Hitsugaya could already hear the starting of a kidō incantation. That wall was definitely not going to hold up against them. He was so going to pay for this later on, but right now, his life seemed a great deal more important. Squeezing as much reiryoku into it as he could, "Hadō no Juuichi, TSUZURU RAIDEN." The second blast managed to take out the next wall thankfully, but he could already sense himself tiring rapidly. He broke a third wall and heard voices. _He was definitely nearing the newer parts of the school. _Forgetting about his depleting reiryoku, he flash stepped down the hallway, and _crashed_ into another man.

"Ahhhh!" There were screams and Hitsugaya fell to the ground before quickly yanking himself up. He had no time to waste.

"Whoa, easy there Hitsugaya!" He looked up and actually processed who he was staring at. "Minata!"

"Hey where's your honorific?" he chided laughingly an Hitsugaya quickly grabbed his second year kidō instructor by the arm and harshly said, "I've got no time to waste. You've got to listen to me. There are a bunch of students chasing after me and if they catch me they are going to _**kill me**_."

"No need for exaggerations Hitsugaya-"

"I'm _NOT _joking with you. Look I found this secret passage and it led to the old part of the school and there was this container of poison and strange little discs and **CAGES FILLED WITH SEDATED HOLLOWS**! They are planning some kind of plot and it's got to be something bad and they've been planning this for awhile and they talked about different phases of the plan and-" It was getting hard to breathe. The place was feeling way too hot. Sweat slid down his temple, the whole place looked blurry, his legs felt weak and his heart must still be thumping too loudly because his chest was starting to feel painful.

"Hitsugaya calm down!" Minata said with a serious expression. "Is this true? You overheard Saionji saying all these?"

'Yes it's definitely true and they are coming after me and there are hollows in the cages and poison," Hitsugaya, overwhelmed with panic and exhaustion, was barely registering that he was repeating himself. "-and there's a secret passage and a false bottom in a cupboard and no one goes there and little discs-" Hitsugaya cut himself off as he choked and bit his tongue.

"Okay calm down, and come with me. We'll go to my office and we'll call the Headmaster okay?"

Hitsugaya nodded and tried to get himself to breathe a little normally, nursing a bitten tongue and his heart needed to slow down and he blinked to get the fuzziness out of his vision, while Hyourinmaru fussed over his Master.

_**Having a panic attack right now will not help you Master.**_

_Yes I know._

Something nagged at him, even as he forced himself not to tear away from the kidō instructor as they were walking to his office. Along the way, the stares of his fellow students and the usual whispers – "_Hey he looks freaking exhausted. Probably gonna collapse any moment. Stressed?"_ – did not even bother him as much as they usually did. If he hadn't been as physically exhausted from the triple eishōhaki and shunpo, and mentally exhausted from his mind might have gotten it sooner.

Minata was ushering him into his office when it finally clicked. "I didn't mention anything about Sai-"

He stopped when he saw Baki in the office. Whirling around, he tried to rush past Minata but he was already halfway through his spell.

"Bakudō no Go, Hakufuku."

Fighting exhaustion and panic, Hitsugaya never stood a chance.

* * *

><p>"Are you going to tell me how you found the passage and the things we were storing?" Minata smiled pleasantly from behind the bars of a cage. Not that <em>he<em> was the one behind the bars of a cage.

The key swung tauntingly at Hitsugaya from Minata's neck.

Hitsugaya ground his teeth together. "No," he bit out.

"Hitsugaya," the teacher said almost pityingly, "You're stuck in a cage made of Sekkiseki, with no means of getting out and no idea where you are. And no one is going to notice you're gone because at least twenty people saw a very exhausted and highly stressed Hitsugaya-kun walk into my office after the first day of his third year to resign himself from school. Your belongings have been cleared out of the room and you are no longer a shinigami student." He lowered himself, "If you just tell me how you figured it out, I'll let you go."

Hitsugaya looked him straight in the eye. "No, you won't," he said quietly.

Minata smiled at his reply. "Yes, I won't."

"But for your sake Hitsugaya-kun, I would really like to stop this from escalating into torture. Just tell me how you found out as much as you did, and I'll make it a quick death for you," he promised.

"What makes you think I didn't tell anyone what I know?"

"Huh, I thought you would try that one. Hitsugaya-kun, you have no friends and you don't hang out with anyone long enough to call an acquaintance, except perhaps Kurumadani, but he's an idiot," Hitsugaya almost resented Minata calling him that. "You only know a whole bunch of little details and nothing about the big picture, and you also have no way of figuring that out stuck behind a cage placed god-knows-where. Seeing as you were in a rather panicky state when I found you, I'm certain you only found out about the poison and the hollows just before you fled the abandoned area of the school, meaning you didn't have time to tell anyone else anyway. The only reason why you're not dead yet is because we may have a security leak and I'm not going to let anyone else find out about our plan.

"Hitsugaya," he wasn't smiling now. "You've been here for three days and with each passing day that our plan is not exposed, my willingness to torture you starts going higher and higher because _I want __**ANSWERS**__. _You are quite frankly running out of time here. I suggest you start spilling."

Hitsugaya glared back at him. Minata sighed. "Oh well. We'll start off with starving and freezing you first then. I deliberately raised the temperature here for you, but now, I see there is no such need. I'll come back a day later to see if a hungry and cold Hitsugaya-kun is more cooperative."

"Have a nice night." Minata shut the door behind him.

Hitsugaya exhaled harshly and wrapped his arms around his legs. Uncertain eyes caught his zanpakutō lying on a table across the room, a distance that seemed infinitely large. No doubt the teacher put it there to taunt him in the first place. If he managed to get out of this cage, Hitsugaya was going to make sure Minata was going to pay for that. Not that there seemed to be a way he could get out. He was exhausted and not recovering quickly because of the Sekkiseki. On one hand it was a good thing they were only bars and not solid walls. On the other hand, even the bars slowed down his recovery significantly.

Minata couldn't possibly be the ringleader behind this. Sekkiseki was a rare resource few had access to. If Hitsugaya had to guess, there was someone high up in the Gotei 13 or Central Room 46 aiding Minata. And while Hitsugaya could not even begin to guess what their aim was, the only reason for them to manufacture that much poison would be that they actually wanted to poison _hundreds of people_. The thought made Hitsugaya sick. He had no idea how many people were there in Seireitei exactly, but he was pretty sure what they had bubbling in the next room was enough.

He sneezed from all the dust lying around the dirty floor.

There was no question that he was back in the abandoned parts of the school. They could not have shifted him far and the temperature was low. He was in the last empty room of the clean corridor.

The first time he was here, it was not cold and there was no poison. He didn't know if the hollows had been here since then, but there was nothing in what he knew that suggested temperatures had to be kept cold for hollows to remain docile. The boxes of little discs had not been affected by the temperature either. It had to be the poison. Whatever it was, the only logical conclusion Hitsugaya could draw was that the cold temperature possibly kept it inert. If they were going to poison the whole of Seiretei, they needed some way to transport the poison. Iceboxes didn't seem cold enough to Hitsugaya on its own.

Were they waiting for ... winter?

Bury it deep in the snow and wait for spring to come, by which time they would be long gone and there would be no evidence against them.

But that still wasn't enough. What were the hollows and the discs for?

What sort of old teaching resources could factor in on a plan like this?

No idea who he was facing, what he was facing, but knowing he _was _facing starvation and freezing cold temperatures, Hitsugaya felt really small and really _really_ pathetic. If he had just kept himself together a little bit longer and not freaked out and went and had a _panic attack-_

If he ever got out of this alive, he was never ever going to have a panic attack like that and freak out again. Nails dug into his palms as he glared at the bars. _**Never**__._

For the people who called him a bloody freaking genius, he did not think he was one. But he imagined that a genius would be a hell of a lot calmer than he was in the same situation, analyzing threats and solutions in the face of a danger and **not having a bloody **_**panic attack**__._ Hitsugaya had a feeling he would be feeling this pissed about himself for quite a while.

At least until he got out of this annoying cage.

Preferably _alive._

The bars were too thinly spaced for him to slide between them, even for someone as small-sized as him. Sticking his hand out of his cage and trying to reach Hyourinmaru was an impossible distance . His kidō wouldn't work from here and he had nothing on him to help him escape.

Except the three small discs he always carried with him. Slipping a hand into his robe pocket to assure himself it was still there, he fingered the small round things. He had been pretty careful about not breaking the small things as he carried them around everyday, not knowing what they did. They also seemed designed to break easily to him. Should he break one of them and hurl them at the bars of his cage to see if they had any destructive capabilities?

No, not yet. Not until he was sure what they did and wouldn't end up killing him too. But if someone came along to talk to him, maybe he could trick them into saying something.

* * *

><p>Three days passed as Hitsugaya waited for someone to come along for him to taunt and trick. Minata never came back, and he had reached a stage where he was so hungry he didn't even feel hungry anymore. His body was weaker than he could remember it ever being. Hyourinmaru remained annoyingly out-of-reach and silent, as Hitsugaya did not have enough energy to communicate with him. The only good thing about this whole situation he was in was that the cold temperatures didn't seem to bother him.<p>

Finally, it was a young girl he had never met before who appeared. Dressed in the female version of the academy's uniform, Hitsugaya stared at her, struggling to make his sluggish brain work.

He saw the wince on her face as she looked at him, and the absolute look of pity that came over her.

He was going to milk this for all it was worth. Trying his best to make himself look as pathetic as possible, not that it was very hard, his eyes became half-lidded as he let out a few whimpers and moans. He even threw in a "Mommy...", just for her.

The look on her face grew worse. "Oh my god, you poor kid," she whispered softly, afraid of disturbing him. Hoping he looked suitably pale, Hitsugaya opened his eyes wider and turned his head vaguely in her direction. "Mommy...?" he asked. "What is a young kid like you even doing at the Academy?" she asked in a voice filled with despair.

"Yuka! What are you doing?" came a much louder, masculine voice.

_Damn it._

"Tanaka!" she whispered-shouted, "Keep your voice down!"

"What are you-" the man appeared in the doorway and his voice cut off at the sight of Hitsugaya. "Damn, is that the kid who snuck in here?"

"Yes. Look at him! He looks horrible! I can't believe Minata-sensei is seriously about starving him in that little cage."

'Yuka," the other guy said awkwardly, "you know our mission takes precedence."

"Yes I do but ... just look at him! Poor kid was even calling me Mommy. Someone like him should never have came to the academy."

"It's not like we can let him go. He would blab. And would you rather Minata-sensei killed him?"

"No, but maybe we can help make his life a little easier?"

"You're just delaying the inevitable."

No matter what Tanaka's feelings were on the matter, he and Yuka took turns bringing him food everyday from then on. Another three days passed like this before Hitsugaya finally decided to talk to Yuka when she came along. He knew there had to be someone behind Minata, but it seemed like he ran the shots here in the Academy. Trapped behind a cage, the best weapon he could arm himself with was information.

"Thanks," he softly whispered when Yuka came to give him his breakfast. It was early in the morning, way too early for anyone to be awake in the Academy. He had understood that neither of the two students feeding him would come at the usual mealtimes or more than once a day, wary of being caught. It was this knowledge that told him Yuka would have a little time to speak with him.

Yuka sighed in reply. "You know that you can't tell anyone about this right?"

Hitsugaya weakly nodded. Despite his ability to come up with ploys and emotional manipulation right now, he was actually still pretty weak. Exhausting your reiryoku, having a panic attack and then getting stuffed in a cage for quite a few days was not exactly good for your health. The amount of food and water they brought him was not a lot either, though Hitsugaya understood they were limited to what they could hide in their robes. "Why are you guys helping me?'

She sighed again and repeated what she had already said before. "What is a young kid like you even doing here in the Academy?"

"Studying. I want to be a shinigami, and protect my family from hollows." He tried his best to sound proud and sincere.

"Your family, huh. I bet they are really worried about you know." A tortured look of guilt came over her face.

"I think they are." Hitsugaya softly replied.

"What about you? Why are you here?" He asked her.

"Me? Well, I want to be a shinigami like you I guess, though for horribly different reasons." She sat down in front of his cage. In front of someone she had an indirect hand in torturing, guilt made her spill. "The Gotei 13 is not as glamourous as you think it is. People like to think of them as one entity presenting a united front against the hollows but it's not really like that you know." Her fist clenched and crumpled her robes. "They are nothing more than thirteen separate groups of mercenaries, all with their own aims. Do you know how many hundreds of people die in Rukongai every year from Hollow attacks? The military that is in place to prevent that frequently occupies themselves with the less dangerous Hollow attacks nearer to Seireitei and they don't care about the residents of Soul Society further out.

"Things would be so much better for everyone if new leadership was introduced to unite the Gotei 13, make them more efficient and prioritize missions better!"

"Is that what you guys are trying to do with the poison?" Hitsugaya asked her. "Kill off everyone so that new leadership can step in? That sounds very extreme to me." Not to mention there were more than a few holes in that rather simple-sounding plan. He didn't think it would actually work.

Yuka stared at the young child. "The poison won't kill off everyone, just weaken them so that the we can swiftly take over. We also have a few demonstrations planned after we take over to show people that things will be a lot better when we are in charge."

"Is that what you have the hollows for?"

"The hollows in the cages? Nah, those are just little experiments we carried out." Yuka sighed again. "But I'm afraid I may have said too much already. I still have things to do before lessons start later. I came down here to grab some hollow bait and if I stay down here too long people will get suspicious." She gave him a sad look. "I hope you somehow make your way out of this alive kid."

Only when she was gone did Hitsugaya take a bite out of his bread. He now knew a lot more than he did when he was first dumped into this cage.

His right hand slipped into his pocket and lifted out a small disc. "So this is hollow bait."

* * *

><p><em>end~<em>


	6. Ten

**Chapter 5: Things**

The plan was simple. He had three discs. Toss one at the doorway to make the hollows in the next room go crazy. Break another one inside his cage to lure them over and break the bars. Hurl another one over the top of their heads and pray they go for it and leave him alone.

It was a simple plan, that had a _lot _of ways in which it could go horribly wrong.

He didn't actually know how hollow bait worked. Like the name suggested, he was pretty sure hollows would be lured to wherever the bait was set off. But would throwing three hollow baits in different directions have any effect or would they just go for anyone they saw in the vicinity? In this case, that would be him and _only _him.

Not a very wise move.

Or he could break one at the doorway, hope they appear and target him, breaking his bars in the process. And then he would toss _two_ discs over their heads.

And if it didn't work? He really did not like his chances against thirty hollows when he was weakened.

His thought process was interrupted by Minata's return.

Immediately slumping down in his cage and putting a zoned out look on his face as he hugged his knees and forced himself to shiver, Hitsugaya raised weak eyes to stare at the teacher. "Oh dear Hitsugaya-kun, you look horrible."

"What...?" he deliberately slurred his words. "Who?"

"This past week has not been kind for you now has it. Is it not a bad thing that you have reiryoku? If you were one of the normal citizens in Soul Society, there wouldn't be a need for you to eat," he said with false sympathy. "Now Hitsugaya-kun, I brought some food and water for you today. If you would just tell me what I want to know, I'll give it to you." Minata smiled and said in a soft tone. Hitsugaya did not reply. He didn't put it past Minata to put some slow-acting poison in the food, just building up in his body and waiting to kill him once Minata knew how Hitsugaya found out about this godforsaken place. He didn't think himself a killer, but he was damn well more prepared to kill someone _now_ than he had been a few months ago.

Starting with _him_. Anger twisted in his gut.

"Hitsugaya-kun? Are you listening to me? Should I give you some new information to ponder over? Every passing day that you don't tell me anything does make me a little more desperate. But at the same time, every passing day that someone else doesn't find their way in here means that the security leak may not be as severe as I thought it was and it may be a complete coincidence that you managed to find your way in here. Your value is slowly but steadily dropping Hitsugaya-kun. You can keep quiet for a few more days at the most before I decide that you're worthless to me."

"Such a shame really," Minata voiced. "You're a genius and would probably end up in some high-ranking position in the future. We could have used you in our plan. Instead, such a young genius is going to die of starvation, hypothermia and frostbite in a little cage." Minata clucked his tongue. "Such a sad young thing."

Hitsugaya's resolve to kill him increased. He never thought of himself as a bloodthirsty person. For goodness' sake, he was just a kid (he would admit it extremely reluctantly). But he would accept it and move on if it meant Minata would no longer be around.

"Are you really not going to talk Hitsugaya?" Minata drew near. Hitsugaya lifted weak eyes to stare at him. A glint entered Minata's eyes. "Then that's too bad. I enjoyed teaching you Hitsugaya-kun. You were a brilliant student. Now, you're just going to die because of something you don't really understand and probably never will. I sincerely hope things turn out better for you in your next life. I'll-"

Hitsugaya _**hurled**_ himself at the bars of the cage and yanked Minata to him with surprising strength, hand finding its way past the open neckline to yank at the key there. Swiftly grabbing it, he shoved Minata away and threw a hollow bait at the doorway.

He had broken it when Minata mentioned the 'worthless' bit. If the hollows in the other room hadn't gone crazy yet, he was out of options.

A bewildered Minata stared at him as Hitsugaya cradled the key to his chest. "What the hell!" Anger was slowly coming over Minata. "Did you think that having the key means you can get out of here safely?"

"No." Hitsugaya replied him coldly, "But-" His next words were drowned out by _**an unholy screech from the next room.**_ It was quickly joined by a chorus of loud calls and howls, all sending shivers down his spine. But he did not hesitate. Quickly stuffing the key into the lock, he turned it just as the wooden door burst open.

Forgetting himself, Hitsugaya froze for a moment.

It was a monster. Yellow eyes, a false grin on its face, which was completely covered by a white bone mask acting like a helmet, his hair touched the ground and Hitsugaya thought he resembled a hairy bat, with wings too large to fit the doorway while his clawed feet drew gouges in the floor. The hollow launched himself through the doorway. Minata cursed. "SHIT! Hadō no Ichi, Shō!" Hitsugaya heard Minata's spell and expected the hollow to be pushed away. Thankfully, while the kidō spell worked and the hollow was temporarily dealt with as it crashed into the opposing wall, the hollow's companions caught up and immediately began attacking the instructor.

With luck, the loud combat noises they were making would invite investigation from the rest of the school. If Hitsugaya could read a sign saying CAUTION: POISON, he was pretty sure everyone else could to.

He yanked open the cage, even as the instructor battled to keep all the hollows at bay with the use of his kidō and the narrow doorway, rushed to the side of the room and hastily picked up Hyourinmaru.

_**MASTER**_. Came a loud roar.

_Hyourinmaru, _he said grimly, _help me!  
><em>

Hitsugaya spat out the words as quickly as he could, "Hadō no Juuichi, Tsuzuri Raiden!" The yellow lightning burst forth and swiftly crackled down the length of his blade, even as Hitsugaya slashed his zanpakutō.

Hurling himself through the opening and struggling to find his bearings, Hyourinmaru sent him a rush of questions.

_**Are you alright young Master? Your reiryoku levels are horrendously low. Where have you been? Are there enemies in pursuit?**_

_No time for all that Hyourinmaru. Suffice to say yes there are probably gonna be people and a couple of hollows after me._

Damnit, maybe he shouldn't have used that particular hadō. His eyesight was steadily blurring and his steps were unsure as he wobbled towards where he _hoped_ led to the newer parts of the school. But lightning kidō had always been more effective for him, and his Byakurai wasn't strong enough to blast a hole in the thick wall. Especially not in his current state.

It wasn't a horribly bad plan, if he would say so himself. He got out of there alive and he had Hyourinmaru with him.

But maybe, he should have came up with a more concrete plan than just grabbing Hyourinmaru and blasting a hole in the wall. He should have had something better than just getting out of the room and hopefully stumbling his way to safety on weakened legs, strengthless arms and blurry eyes. If he got out of this one alive, there were more than a few things he would learn out of this entire situation.

One, he was never going to have a panic attack again. No matter how impossible things were. Two, he was never going to digress on anything ever again. No matter how little they may seem to be. Three, he was never making any move without keeping calm and considering _all_ of his options and somehow combining them to form a concrete plan. And he was going to do it fast to take advantage of any opportunities that only occurred for that single moment. Four, he was going to throw himself into training so he would never have to feel this _weak_ and _helpless_ again. Five, he was going to learn how to pick locks.

If he had been a little more alert and not as weak as he was, he might have sensed Tanaka and Baki near. As it was, he suddenly found his way cut off by the two students, Tanaka looking more grim than the other.

Baki had already prepared his incantation. "Hadō no Sanjuusan, Shakkahou!" The destructive ball of red light hurtled its way towards him, and Hitsugaya barely managed to dive out of its way. It continued on and slammed into the side wall, kicking up a lot of dust and concrete particles as Hitsugaya tried not to choke on them.

Praying this was the right direction and there would be no one in his way, he tore out of the dust cloud and poured preciously little reiryoku into his quickest shunpo ever. There was no way he could fight in his current state. Hastily turning a corner, his legs finally gave way and his knees cracked painfully against the floor. Harsh pants echoed around the hallway as he struggled to get up.

Six, he was going to train himself to be more alert, and sense others better.

_**Master**_.

Hyourimaru was a zanpakutō of rather few words, Hitsugaya had learnt very early on. It suited him for Hyourinmaru to say little because Hitsugaya was not the world's best conversationalist. But right now, _Please tell me you have some suggestions, Hyourinmaru._

_**You need rest**_.

_Again, I gotta say that's not very helpful._

Maybe for Seven, he was going to teach Hyourinmaru how to make better suggestions.

Stabbing his sword into the ground and using it as leverage to push himself up, Hitsugaya continued on his way, legs threatening to give out and every step more unsteady than the next. The worried dragon fretted in his inner world like an overprotective parent, while Hitsugaya looked exhaustion in the eye.

A scuffing sound from far away was heard, and Hitsugaya thought he could hear shouts too but he wasn't too sure. Struggling to pick up speed, he turned another corner and found another dead-end.

Not having enough energy to even curse, he lifted his zanpakutō and hoped this was the right way. He didn't know how long more he could last.

"Hadō no Juuichi, Tsuzuri Raiden." It was barely a whisper and the yellow lightning that came forth was weak. But it was enough, even though he could barely lift his arm. Hitsugaya's eyes were blinded by the bright light that came from the newly formed opening.

It seemed he had gone the wrong way after all. Instead of emerging in the newer parts of the school, he was all the way at the _other _end, where the Academy was bordered by a deep forest used for training exercises. Hitsugaya revised his list. Seven, he was going to learn how to navigate around strange places better and not get lost.

The sun was not particularly strong in the autumn, but after days of nothing but darkness, Hitsugaya's eyes could not fully open. Maybe his luck would look up and there would be someone training in the forest now who could help him. Instead, he got four students he was pretty sure were not on his side emerging from behind him.

A kick sent him spinning and somersaulting away as his body repeatedly crashed into the ground before slamming painfully to a halt. Repeat number six. Bleary eyes opened to see who was it, body barely registering the pain in his state. Baki and Saionji. Yuka and Tanaka. Great. If it had just been the latter two, they might have just let him go. Tightening his grip on Hyourinmaru, he used it to pull himself up even as the grim-faced students fanned out to form a crescent.

Yuka actually asked, "Are you okay?" biting her lip at the sorry state the young child looked. He had not replied when Saionji cut in. "It doesn't matter. Minata-sensei and the others are working on subduing the hollows before anyone notices all the din. We've got him," he smiled a little maniacally as he nodded at Hitsugaya. "Let's just kill him and get it over with." Saionji raised his zanpakutō. "I don't really want to kill a kid," Hitsugaya wanted to point out his tone didn't really sound like it, "but there's more at stake than just _his_ life. If I can offer any comfort, sorry kid." Saionji hurtled towards Hitsugaya, zanpakutō at the ready as he _**slashed**_ down at him, a strike looking like it would take off Hitsugaya's arm at the very least or cleave him into two. The young boy barely managed to get his sword up in time, reflexes working way too slow, and it was useless anyway as his arm buckled under Saionji's strike and he fell to the ground, hands almost slipping off Hyourinmaru. His own zanpakutō was at his neck. Hitsugaya didn't dare breathe as his brain struggled to find a way out of this.

His arm hurt and he was pretty sure his wrist was severely sprained.

Saionji raised his arm again.

* * *

><p>The next blow was blocked by Yuka.<p>

She slammed him away from the weak boy, and screamed, "Stop it! He's just a kid! Look at the state of him. Even if we don't kill him, he's going to die of exhaustion sooner or later!"

Saionji glared at Yuka. "Get out of the way, or I'll remove _you_."

Yuka took a step back in shock, "Wha-"

"You've been acting out of line recently Yuka. Always defending the boy in meetings and calling for his release. You seem to forget that this is not anyone we just randomly picked up from the street and decided to lock up in a cage. He _knows_ things. That makes him too dangerous to live! He's lucky we didn't kill him on the spot! If he manages to tell people what he knows, the whole plan falls apart! Even if we move things up, we'll lose the element of surprise!"

"He doesn't _know_ that much to constitute a large threat to us! He doesn't even know what the mission is about!"

"And how do _you_ know that?" Saionji retorted. The next moment, a suspicious glint entered his eyes. "Or are you the leak among us?"

"What!"

"We still don't know how the boy found out about the secret passageway and got all the way in here. Maybe it was you who brought him here because you want the plan to fail!" Saionji accused her.

"How could you possibly doubt _me_ when I was the first one who was involved in all this! You were even recruited by _me_ Saionji!" Yuka spat back at him, zanpakutō at the ready. It would not be the first time Saionji tried a sudden attack.

"HAHAHA! The cowardly young girl **dares** to mention that when _she_ doesn't even know what our **actual plan** is," Saionji practically cackled at her.

It was the second shock within a few minutes Yuka received. "What do you-"

"Saionji! You know we're not supposed to talk about it!" Baki said frantically.

The slightly crazed student sneered at her. "Really Yuka, you think that we are just going to use the poison to _**weaken**_ people so we can take over? And all that hollow bait is just to lure hollows over from Hueco Mundo, and then we'll use the cannon to destroy them all as a show of our power and how much we could accomplish? GET REAL. The poison is going to wipe out _all_ of Seireitei once we are safely hidden away in Rukongai. And once we get confirmation that most of the shinigami and stinking _**nobles**_ are **gone**_**, **_we'll start setting off the hollow bait ALL OVER Soul Society until everyone is fucking _**DEAD**_. And everyone out there _deserves_ that."

"Stop it already-" Baki tried to interrupt.

"There isn't even a fucking cannon. We just made that up and told you we hid it in the clock tower so you wouldn't go crazy and start blabbing to everyone you see. The clock tower is nothing but a clock tower with offices where we store all the important documents and plans. We didn't want you there so we said it was vulnerable to disturbances. _That's_ how important _**YOU**_ are, bitch!" Saionji finished.

Yuka turned to look at Tanaka. "Is this true?" she whispered.

Tanaka winced and looked away.

The tense moment was interrupted by the appearance of another student. "Guys, we're in deep shit! The other teachers heard all the trouble going on after all, even though Minata-sensei and the others already got rid of most of the hollows! They are heading here now! It's too late to shift the poison or the hollow bait, what do we do?"

"God, shut the fuck up about all this already!" Baki screamed.

"Have you told Minata-sensei?" Tanaka asked urgently. "No, I didn't dare."

"At this stage, you still have time to not _dare_ to do something?" Saionji roared. "Go tell him immediately!"

"But he's still busy with the rest of the hollows!"

Saionji growled. The stress he had been through for the past few months was clearly showing in his bloodshot eyes and steadily cracking composure. "Baki, go tell Minata-sensei. Tenzo, you're going back to the clocktower offices. Destroy everything there that can be liked to us. NOW!" The two students hastily left before Yuka could finish shouting, "WAIT!"

"As for you," Saionji turned horrible eyes at Yuka and the semi-unconscious Hitsugaya. "it's all _his fault_ this is going to pieces right now."

"Saionji don't you dare-" Those were the last words Yuka would ever say. With insanely fast speed, he slashed her chest. Blood spurt forth. She never truly registered the pain before she toppled over dead.

* * *

><p>A stunned Hitsugaya, barely conscious and fighting to stay awake, could hardly believe what he was seeing.<p>

It would be the first person he saw died in front of him. But it would not be the last.

Eight, Hitsugaya softly counted, he never wanted to see that again.

The crazed student turned his eyes to look at Hitsugaya. "It's all your fault kid," he said almost normally, "and you're gonna die for it."

Nine, you are never too proud to beg.

_Hyourinmaru_.

_**Yes**_.

_I can't stand. I can barely feel my sword in my hands. I don't have enough energy to do anything. But right now, I want to stand up and kill this guy._

He took as deep a breath as he possibly could as the other student advanced. _Help me_, he implored.

_Please. Do something_.

_**You are the master**_. Hyourinmaru rumbled. _**If you can stand up, I would never let you down. **_The dragon may have sounded semi-calm, but Hitsugaya heard the worry in his tone too.

He didn't think there was anything left in him. His reiryoku had been exhausted, he had been locked in a Sekkisekki cage with minimal amounts of food and freezing temperatures. He had forced out the last remaining reserves in his body only moments ago, to snatch the key from Minata, escape his cage and escape the school. The only thing he had remaining, was his life. Tired eyes flicked to Yuka's body, lying mere feet away. She did not even have that left, to defend him.

If he had his life, would that be enough?

He was going to have to find out.

He stabbed his zanpakutō into the ground, and barely managed to stumble upright. One knee rested on the floor, and Saionji turned those horrible bloodshot eyes at the little figure.

"Now, fucking DIE ALREADY!" He didn't have Yuka to block a blow for him. If he wanted to keep his life, he was going to have to do it himself no matter how much it hurt. With a newfound strength surging in him, Hitsugaya yanked his zanpakutō and sliced it sharply upwards, knocking aside Saionji's crazed swing, before quickly spinning to kick his leg out from underneath him. He had no time to hesitate. He didn't care if he actually killed him. With a yell, he **stabbed** down at Saionji with all his strength.

Tanaka _**kicked**_ him away.

Crashing painfully into the ground once more, Hitsugaya turned bleary eyes on him and dredged up every breath he had, and every ounce of unbelievability to scream, "He just killed Yuka!"

Tanaka stared back, hands clutching the hilt of his undrawn zanpakutō so tightly they started to bleed. "But I believe in the mission more."

"The mission to kill everyone in Soul Society?" Hitsugaya asked disbelievingly, his voice rough even as his chest heaved up and down.

"There's a lot more than just that!" Tanaka shouted at him. "Do you know how many people the shinigami have harmed!" Hitsugaya wearily noted the crazed light that entered _his_ eyes too. "It's worth it to kill everyone just to make sure the shinigami never hurt anyone again and there is no one around to be hurt again!" What the hell did Minata _**do**_ to all these students? The plan to kill everyone didn't even make sense!

Saionji had already recovered. "Step away Tanaka. I'm going to kill the brat."

Tanaka scoffed. "You've been saying that for the past five minutes and he's still _alive_. Just quit the talk and kill him already if you want to. I don't want any part of it."

Sensing what might be a weak spot, Hitsugaya said, "If you can't even kill me, you think you can participate in this mission to kill all of Soul Society?" Tanaka stiffened, but Saionji was already acting.

"Naku, Ougusun!" There wasn't much change. His blade simply turned golden and he aimed it at the ground before swinging it upwards, hurling an unbelievable amount of the ground straight at Hitsugaya, who forced himself to swiftly dodge to the left, but ended up getting caught in it. An huge amount of pressure slammed into him and he was forced further into the forest, body slamming into more than one tree on the way as Saionji's attack uprooted them. When he finally stopped, he had serious difficulties breathing.

This was in no way a battle. It was just him getting tossed around before they finally killed him.

It seemed like that was the cue for Minata to arrive. He did not look pleased. "You guys haven't killed the little brat yet? What the fuck do I keep you guys around for anyway! Do you know how much of our plan he has ruined? I set off some hollow bait and opened a garganta to lure hollows and delay the rest of the teachers, but a quick check for the emitted reiryoku signatures in this area is going to blow our covers! They _know_ I frequent the clocktower! They are going to find _everything_!" Minata himself did not look very stable to Hitsugaya either.

"Then you shouldn't be here screaming at me should you!" Saionji shouted back. "Unlike you who whines about what's happening, I've already sent Tenzo to destroy everything in those offices! They're not going to have much to get back to us with! I don't even know why _YOU_ are the fucking guy in-charge!"

"You ungrateful kid!"

Hitsugaya didn't understand what was going on between them. Right now, he wouldn't be surprised if he had a few broken ribs, because it certainly felt that way. He was also about 80 percent sure his left ankle was twisted in a direction that the human body couldn't manage on its own. His right ankle wasn't exactly feeling its best either. He would not be walking anywhere, much less utilizing shunpo. He thought it was a miracle he hadn't passed out yet. He thought it was a miracle he wasn't dead yet either. But if they were going to start playing inner turmoil, he was going to take advantage of it. Tanaka tried to calm the two down, but he was slowly joining in the quarrel too. Yuka had bought him time with her life, though he would never know if she truly wanted that or not. If he wanted to act, now was the time.

_Hyourinmaru_.

_You said if I could stand up, you would never let me down_.

The great dragon rumbled in his inner world.

_Mind telling me how you are going to promise me that?_

The dragon just came out and said it. _**You don't have enough reiryoku to call me out right now. It might damage your own reserves. They might stop growing.**_

_It's a problem I will only face if I'm still alive after this_.

_**The man said it himself. Your teachers are coming.**_

_They won't get here in time. Give it to me Hyourinmaru. _

The great dragon paced and fretted.

_Hyourinmaru!_

_**Stand up young Master**_. And Hitsugaya did.

_**Lift your sword young Master.**_ And Hitsugaya did.

_**You won't have enough for even a single attack**._

_But we will try. _

_**Yes, we will. Call my name young Master. **_

_You didn't tell me the command._

A beat.

_**But you already know it. **_

The pain of standing on injured ankles was unbelievable to him. His ribs were definitely broken, because it hurt to breathe and he thought he was going to die from standing upright. But he cast all that aside. For a moment, the world quietened and Hitsugaya heard nothing but his own harsh breaths. His eyes saw the trio turning towards him in surprise as his reiatsu sharpened. His eyes saw their mouths open to say something, but he didn't hear them. Yes, he knew it already. Suddenly it seemed perfectly logical to him and he didn't know why he never got it before, during all those attempts to call out his shikai. Because the only place Hyourinmaru would ever belong in, was a world of ice.

And because the only place a dragon could belong in, was above, over the heavens.

He only heard his next words.

"**SOUTEN NI ZASE, _HYOURINMARU!_"**

He swung his sword with a yell, eyes barely registering the changed appearance of his katana. An extended blade. Another crescent-shaped blade attached to the hilt by a long metal chain. No, his eyes were too busy looking at something else.

A dragon **_roared_** in the real world. Away from his inner world. A flow of ice shaped like a Chinese dragon, an immensely long body that was surprisingly quick, red eyes glowing as it surged forward to destroy its Master's enemies. There was no hesitation. It _**slammed**_ into Minata first, swiftly freezing him and moving on to Saionji and then Tanaka. None of the three had time to react.

And before the threats to himself were fully neutralized, Hitsugaya had already fallen to the ground, zanpakutō tightly clutched and his mind completely numb as his eyes closed.

Ten, he was going to master his shikai.

* * *

><p><em>end~<em>


	7. Interlude

A belated Merry X'mas and wishing everyone a Happy New Year! Many thanks for the reviews these past few months. I don't usually reply reviews unless there's something I want to answer upfront instead of working into the chapter, but I do read every single review and delight in them. I hope for your continued support in 2012!

_**Interlude: While He Was Sleeping (1)**_

She had never before seen reiryoku exhaustion in a student. The broken ribs, sprained wrist, twisted ankles, bruises and bleeding wounds, yes. It was fairly typical for a student to receive those in a training exercise gone wrong, though it was more common back in the older days when those exercises were not as strictly regulated. Reiryoku exhaustion rarely happened, even in the Gotei 13, but they occasionally did when a shinigami found himself in a tough situation with no reinforcements in sight.

And then, there was the malnutrition and dehydration.

Reiryoku exhaustion being a rather delicate condition by itself, she would have taken charge of the patient no matter who it had resulted in permanent damages to reserves before. This would not be the first time a shinigami was forced to remain in an unseated poison throughout his entire military career. If not cared for properly, the same may happen to the student. But after taking one look at the young boy and double-checking his file to make sure appearances were not deceptive, she made him her top priority.

What was a boy with barely matured reiryoku doing at the Academy?

She had not heard of the boy before that day. No matter how impressive students were in the Academy, compared to shinigami in the Gotei 13, they were simply not. Success in academics were only spread around when a student became an actual member of the Gotei 13.

And contrary to popular belief, the Gotei 13 itself did not have much influence over the Academy. It was simply too busy with its duties and responsibilities to pay more than a passing interest into the school, which was run by the instructors who were in turn supervised jointly by the 1st Division and the 5th Division. For a Captain of the 4th Division, matters involving the academy were far removed from her. She would definitely be making an inquiry into why such a young student was allowed in. While there were no age restrictions per say, some lines were just not crossed.

The situation the boy had been found in was strange in itself. Teachers had heard what sounded like combat coming from the old abandoned parts of the school, and when they went to investigate, they found the place swarming with hollows.

Hollows, who were not supposed to be able to enter Seireitei.

There would no doubt be an inquiry into the 12th Division's monitoring system because the Gotei 13 had received no notification from them about hollows within Seireitei itself. As it was, the teachers had called for back-up from the Gotei 13 and the 7th Division sent two squads to support them. When the hollows had been purified, the teachers and 7th Division shinigami had found a secret lab, boxes filled with hollow bait, empty cages made of Sekkisekki, and a large vat of what was labelled as poison.

Following a trail of destruction, they had emerged in the opposite end of the school to find a dead female student, and one kidō instructor with three students passed out on the ground, with signs of a battle having taken place. Other than Hitsugaya, the other three were frozen by means unknown. At that exact moment where the teachers verified this, an explosion occurred elsewhere in the Academy. The clocktower was destroyed. Seireitei's firefighting team was sent out, and by the time the fire was put out, a horribly burnt body was found.

The 12th Division had been brought in to confirm the nature of the translucent green liquid. After taking a sample, they had tested it and confirmed it to be a highly deadly poison in its gaseous state.

With the presence of poison and hollow bait, the Captain-Commander decided that the 1st Division would investigate the bizarre case. Despite not saying so, Unohana knew that the Captain-Commander had long since determined this entire affiar to be treason and rebellion of some sort. In light of the two objects that had no positive uses, Unohana could not say that he was wrong but there still remained plenty of unanswered questions. All four were currently under arrest, and to be treated in incarceration. Unohana had put her foot down on the case of the boy. Reiryoku exhaustion, as delicate a condition as it was, she did not recommend for him to be incarcerated, and she had made it clear that he would not wake for at least another week and could not possibly escape.

Despite her long years of service, she knew the Captain-Commander would not simply relent on this issue because a Captain spoke up. But she had pointed out the malnutrition, dehydration and other injuries that were typical of a prisoner. The fact that Hitsugaya Toushirou was no longer a student at the Academy as of one week ago could have gone either way, either withdrawing from school so he had more free time or being forced to withdraw by whoever was keeping him prisoner.

The Captain-Commander had relented on the conditions that he was kept under guard at all times.

That had been three days ago.

Her division had also completed the autopsies of both bodies found. The female student, an Asahi Yuka, was determined to have been killed by the zanpakutō of one of the arrested students, a Saionji Teru. The horribly burnt male body found was determined to be a student named Tenzo Masashi. He had died of carbon monoxide poisoning from the abnormally large fire before even suffering serious burns. Questioning of other teachers and students in the Academy had revealed that none of the five students had ever been seen closely interacting in school. The instructor himself was not particularly close to any of the five students involved either, though he was listed as the instructor who oversaw Hitsugaya Toushirou's withdrawal from school.

Other than Hitsugaya Toushirou, the other three who had been found near the forest bordering the school had woken up yesterday, and were more or less alright after they were cured of hypothermia. Interrogations by the 1st Division shinigami were due to begin today.

Saionji Teru was also the nephew of the Chief Instructor of the top class of the current first years, Saionji Masami. She too, had been brought in for questioning.

Finished with her daily check-up on the young boy, she returned the clipboard with his medical history back to its hook, preparing to leave.

"Unohana-taichou-dono!" Came a scream.

Used to such emergencies, Unohana calmly and swiftly made it out of the room and into the hallway, immediately confronting the frantic 4th Division shinigami in charge of telling her the news. "This way Unohana-taichou!" The two moved even as the shinigami started speaking quickly, "Interrogations with the three people found at the Academy have begun, but just after it started they all started to progressively lose their sanity. They are currently ranting and screaming and two of them tried to repeatedly bang their heads into the wall! Kotetsu-fukutaichou is already at the 1st Division with them! The Captain-Commander has asked for your presence!"

Some sort of safety catch to prevent them from spilling their secrets? It seemed they had not captured the ringleader after all.

"What of the 12th Division?"

"Regarding that, Kurotsuchi-taichou refuses to answer the summons of the Captain-Commander and has sent his 3rd Seat to the 1st Division instead. He said he was preoccupied with research into some of his subordinates who have been poisoned."

This was not the time to bring up the 12th Division Captain's disregard for proper procedures in the Gotei 13.

"I will be going ahead, but there are some things I would like you to pass on to Iemura-san."

* * *

><p>"Unohana-taichou."<p>

She turned to regard the Captain-Commander, "Yamamoto-soutaichou," she nodded her head in polite deference.

"I am going to request that Kotetsu-fukutaichou or yourself be the medic officer-in-charge of the four criminals. Please limit the medical officers who will come in touch with them to 3rd Seat and above at the very least."

"I understand. I shall be returning to my division now. All three suspects should be the stable for the night. They are under sedation and I will return tomorrow to oversee the next round of interrogations."

Yamamoto nodded, and Unohana left.

It seemed he had serious concerns about the reach of this conspiracy. "Taichou," Isane spoke up, "what should we do about the remaining criminal still in our division?"

"Isane," she said, "it would do well for us not to assign labels to people before anything is proven. Innocent until proven guilty after all."

"Hai."

"But your question is valid. For now, we shall let him remain in solitary confinement with the guards watching over him. Even if he wakes up, he is not going to go anywhere with such low reiryoku levels. Tell the night guards to be wary of possible invaders."

"Taichou, do you suspect someone will try to rescue him?"

"No," she denied, "I am afraid someone may try to murder him."

Isane gasped. "Taichou!"

"I have looked through the interrogation transcripts for the three people this afternoon. Upon mention of the purpose of their set-up, all three started sweating and breathing abnormally. Around ten minutes later, they all lost control of themselves. It appears there is a mechanism in place preventing them from telling us what they know. Hitsugaya Toushirou, on the other hand, is different." Unohana conjectured.

"How so?"

"You have read the notes I made in his file?" Upon receiving Isane's affirmation, she continued, "Then you would know that I have a strong suspicion that Hitsugaya Toushirou was not one of the instigators behind this event but a victim. From the malnutrition and dehydration, there is a great likelihood that he has been kept prisoner since the day he allegedly withdrew from the academy. There is probably more evidence in his favor, but that will have to wait until we return to the division barracks."

"Hai."

Walking into her division, she smiled at her hardworking subordinates before pausing one of them to, "Please ask Iemura-sanseki to make his way to my office. Thank you." Isane left her to pass down her orders, and she headed to her office to wait for Iemura alone.

"Unohana-taichou!" Iemura greeted once he arrived. "Iemura-san. I hope you managed to find the information I asked you to look for?"

"Hai, Unohana-taichou." He slid into a standing position to make his report, as Isane took her place next to her Captain. "Shortly after you left the division today afternoon, I visited the abandoned parts of the academy where the incident occurred. The 1st Division shinigami were highly reluctant to let me in, but were persuaded to do so. Beyond the four rooms listed in the case file, there was actually a fifth room along the corridor. Unlike the other rooms and the hallways, which were clean and occupied, it only held a single cage made of Sekkisekki and the room appeared uninhabited for years as it was dirty and dusty. Upon close observation and sharing of information with the 1st Division shinigami present, I have determined the cage to be of the same type as the cages in the fourth room, the ones suspected to have held hollows within its confines. The cage was, however, of a much smaller size. In accordance to your hypothesis that Hitsugaya Toushirou was held prisoner for as long as a week, I find it highly likely that it was this cage that he was confined in."

"They imprisoned a child in a cage for a week?" Isane cut in, horrified.

"Isane." The gentle reprimand from Unohana prompted her to return to her silence with a soft, "My apologies."

Iemura continued his report. "I have also made further investigations into Hitsugaya Toushirou's time at the Academy, and have noted two abnormalities with his file. According to someone who purports to be a close friend of Hitsugaya Toushirou, a Kurumadani Zenosuke, Hitsugaya Toushirou had managed to obtain his zanpakutō roughly a month and a half ago. This fact was not noted in his file."

"Have you confirmed this?" Unohana sharply asked.

"The teachers were all highly reluctant to talk about it but yes, no less than five of his instructors confirmed the fact." Iemura replied. "This gives rise to another abnormality with his file. Students who have obtained their zanpakutōs are not allowed to withdraw themselves from the Academy without a valid reason and an interview with either the Gotei 13, the Kidō Corps or the Onmitsukidō. Hitsugaya Toushirou offered neither a valid reason nor attended an interview with any of the three militaries. The instructor who oversaw his withdrawal allowed it nonetheless."

"And this instructor is confirmed to be one of the men who have been arrested?"

"Yes, a Minata Arata, 2nd Year Kidō Instructor."

"What about the whereabouts of his zanpakutō? It was not with him when he was delivered to our division for treatment." She followed up.

"I have tried to ask around about that, and it seems his zanpakutō was assumed to belong to one of the other three who were arrested, and is currently in the possession of the 1st Division. However, I was unable to confirm this."

"Thank you Iemura-san. Could you possibly work on getting access to his zanpakutō tomorrow? Please let them know that I am asking for it. If you are unable to do so, please inform me before noon."

"Hai. If you do not have any other instructions, please excuse me."

"Please go ahead." Iemura bowed and took a step back before turning and making his way out of the office.

"Do you understand my concern now, Isane?" Unohana asked.

"Eh...?"

"If Hitsugaya Toushirou is not an instigator, then unlike the other three people who have been arrested, there is no mechanism guarding his tongue. He must have been imprisoned for some reason, either because he is an integral part to this plan or because he knows too much. Either way, he will definitely have something to tell us. We will have to keep a close eye on him to make sure whoever is behind this does not make a successful attempt on his life."

"Hai. I have already passed on your orders. The guards at his room have been doubled, and shinigami who have no reason to be near the area will be turned away." She conveyed.

"Thank you for your efforts Isane." Unohana smiled.

"The conspiracy has been halted, but the truth remains veiled."

* * *

><p>"Unohana-sempai?" Ukitake softly ventured.<p>

Unohana smiled warmly. "Ah, Juushirou-san."

"Sorry for interrupting, are you free now?" Ukitake smiled. "Hai, I am just doing some paperwork but it is far from urgent. Please take a seat. Are you feeling okay?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm fine I'm fine. Kaien just kicked me out of the division saying I needed to go for a little walk, so I thought I would come here and ask you about that tea you recommended." Ukitake said a little sheepishly. "I hope this really isn't a bad time, Unohana-sempai."

"No, it is not. And please, call me Retsu. We have known each other for millennia!" as she got up and approached one of the shelves backed against her left wall. "You are a lot more experienced that I am, Unohana-san," Ukitake compromised.

"I have found this batch of tea leaves to be the most refreshing and soothing strain of chrysanthemum I have ever brewed. Since your condition makes you cough often, drinking this may help your throat, which is most definitely under severe strain." She tipped some tea leaves out of the can and prepared to brew it.

"Miyako-sanseki makes a very good tea. You should ask her to brew it for you." she continued.

"Yes, she does," Ukitake smiled, "Do you not want to keep some for yourself?" he asked as she passed the whole can to him.

"It is fine, I think I will have another batch of tea leaves coming in soon."

"My thanks, then."

"Please."

"Please excuse me." A voice came from outside the room. "Hai," Unohana replied. The door slid open and Iemura knelt on a knee to greet that two Captains. "Unohana-taichou, Ukitake-taichou, please excuse my interruption. Unohana-taichou, I have something to report."

"Please come in."

"Hai."

Ukitake regarded the serious demeanor of his fellow Captain, and decided to listen very carefully to what her subordinate wished to report. "I have managed to locate the zanpakutō belonging to Hitsugaya Toushirou. It is indeed in the possession of the 1st Division, but they refused to release it to me. My apologies, but it seems like Unohana-taichou will have to make a request for it personally."

"I see. Thank you for your efforts, Iemura-san."

"You are most welcomed."

Upon the 3rd Seat's departure, Ukitake turned to Unohana with a questioning look in his eyes. "Hitsugaya Toushirou?"

"Have you heard of the incident at the Academy, Juushirou-san?" She asked as she tipped the ready brew into tea cups. "Ah, yes I did. I received the report on it from the 1st Division a few days ago. I was partially surprised that the Captain-Commander did not call an immediate meeting to discuss it."

"Have you asked him about it?"

Ukitake shook his head. "It sounded like a rather small matter on paper to be honest. There are quite a few plots that are discovered before damage can be done every few years. Poison and hollow bait are frankly not the worst of them, and I have grown rather tired of treating each and every incident as a serious matter over the years." He took a sip of his tea, "Yes, I see what you mean by soothing and refreshing."

She inclined her head in acknowledgement of his comment. "That is true. However, I have some concerns regarding this particular incident. Hitsugaya Toushirou is one of the four people who have been arrested as the instigators of this event."

"May I ask why his zanpakutō is of significance?"

Unohana set her teacup down. "Pardon me, but if you are finished with your tea, maybe you would like to visit him with me?"

"Ah, yes, sure. Is he currently held at the 1st Division?" The two Captains got up. "No. Hitsugaya Toushirou is currently incarcerated at the 4th Division." Unohana replied. Ukitake queried, "Are his injuries very serious?" Unohana's reply was, "It involves why I would like you to take a look at him." The two Captains were silent on the way to where the prisoner was. The guards bowed in deference to the two Captains, and Unohana slid the door open. Ukitake gasped. "That's a child!"

"Yes he is." Unohana replied solemnly.

Ukitake looked at the small boy, who seemed even smaller on the bed as white as he was pale and a great deal larger than he was. His condition was carefully monitored as tubes hooked him up to machines, machines he was way too familiar with. There was a large bruise at the side of his face, and a wound covered with white gauze on his other cheek, probably a deep cut. He breathed slowly but weakly, and the oxygen mask was clearly necessary. Equally white blankets hid other bandaged wounds on his body. "How did he end up in this state? Did the arresting shinigamis...?" Ukitake voiced, horror in his tone. He had seen way too much in his absurdly long lifetime, but such violence upon a child would always wrench his heart.

"No," Unohana denied, "he was in this condition when the instructors and 7th Division shinigamis arrived. He is currently suffering from reiryoku exhaustion, though he is on the slow road to recovery. Complete reiryoku exhaustion does not encourage me to use kidō to complete the healing of his wounds, so he has to tolerate the pain of broken ribs until his reiryoku recovers, though I have given him some mild painkillers. Drugs do not work as well on shinigami as on humans."

"Broken ribs? How did he...Is he a student at the Academy?" Ukitake couldn't believe it. "Since when did the Academy accept students so young?" Unohana acknowledged his comment. "I will be inquiring into the matter. But nonetheless, he is here and I have several concerns regarding him. Hitsugaya Toushirou has been arrested under suspicion of participating in a plot meant to harm Soul Society. However, there are circumstantial evidence pointing towards him being a _prisoner_ rather than a participant. He has injuries pointing towards being held in captivity and he has been starved."

Ukitake looked at the thin body on the bed in a whole new light. Wasn't it terrible enough that a child was beaten up so terribly? _Starvation_?

Unohana proceeded to summarize everything Iemura had reported on so far. They locked a child in a cage. Ukitake felt the weight of his long years of illness on him in that one moment. He could barely suppress the coughs that came next. "Juushirou-san!" Unohana fretted. "Perhaps I should not have said anything." Ukitake was quick to deny. "No, no, I'm fine. It's fine." Unohana sighed. "I must point out that there is no certain proof."

Perhaps Hitsugaya Toushirou wasn't really as innocent as he looked. But as he stared at the weak figure on the bed, he found himself unable to believe this was someone who willingly participated in a plot to harm Soul Society.

"I believe Yamamoto-soutaichou has not called a Captains' Meeting because he wishes to portray the image of the entire case having been closed already, though I am sure he has his suspicions of the ringleaders not having been arrested yet. My concern is that right now, of the four people who have been arrested, three have been unable to communicate their motives and aims, and the physical evidence itself is not illuminating. I'm afraid it will come down to his word alone in the end, and an innocent child may end up dead, forced to become the scapegoat for this incident." Unohana said worriedly.

"You mentioned that you have made enquiries regarding his zanpakutō?" Ukitake asked.

"Yes, I have."

He continued, "If I remember correctly, the report said something about three of the people arrested being in a frozen state?" Unohana answered in the affirmative once more. "His reiatsu feels icy enough. He may wield an ice-snow zanpakutō. One of my unseated shinigami holds such a zanpakutō and their reiatsu are rather similar." Unohana confirmed this for herself by moving closer to the pale child on the bed. "Yes, I had failed to notice that."

Ukitake smiled, "I'm sure you would have. It's just that this must be the first time he's recovered enough reiryoku to emit reiatsu." He followed that up with a sigh, "He must have undergone much and still fought hard to end up with complete reiryoku exhaustion."

"He's only been in the Academy for about two months." That bit from Unohana did not make him feel better at all. "He jumped into the second year after only a month at the academy."

"Really? That's faster than Kaien, or even Ichimaru-taichou!" Fishing within his robes, he came up with a lollipop and set it gently on the child's bedside. "You carry sweets around with you, Juushirou-san?" Unohana asked disapprovingly. "Ah, no it's not for me. Yachiru-chan passed it to me saying I look like I need it more. I don't think she knows I can't take sugar." Unohana gently said, "He cannot eat much sugar in his malnourished condition either." Ukitake protested, "But he's a kid! Children and candy go together!" he insisted. She sighed, "Oh well, maybe he can have it when he's better."

"Get well soon Hitsugaya-san."

The two Captains left the room and Ukitake said, "Please keep me informed regarding this matter. If necessary, Kyoraku and I can step in to help persuade Yamamoto-soutaichou." Unohana nodded, "Yes I will. I thank you for your help in advance."

"No, that would be unnecessary."

"To be honest, Juushirou-san," Unohana continued, "I am not being concerned with his situation simply because he is a child." Ukitake paused in the hallway and once Unohana was certain there were no eavesdroppers, she continued, "It is part of the duty of a Captain to look out for potential among the shinigami. I am pleased to say that if Hitsugaya Toushirou recovers from this incident, I am almost a hundred percent certain he would one day become one of our colleagues."

Ukitake was about to point out that of course a student would become a shinigami one day when he realized what she was referring to. "A Captain?"

Unohana smiled. "He will be the youngest in history," she predicted.

* * *

><p><em>end~<em>


	8. Wake

_**Chapter 6: Up**_

Hitsugaya Toushirou woke up on the eighth day he was found.

Contrary to her worry, Hitsugaya Toushirou was not attacked during his stay at the 4th Division. Meanwhile, the interrogations with the remaining three had not gone well. All continued to show signs of mental derogation once the questions went near their objective. The questioning of Saionji Teru's aunt, Saionji Masami, had not revealed much, except that her nephew had been rather stressed of late.

It was another two days later that a fifth arrest was made. Repeated questioning of instructors for suspicious students had finally bore fruit. A fifth student named Komatsu Baki had been identified as the individual within the academy who was most likely to have concocted the poison. He was the top student in the Chemistry elective, and would have graduated the next year and headed straight for the 12th Division, where a Seat was more than likely waiting for him. He had been jittery for days, and when the 1st Division shinigami asked him in for questioning, he had immediately fled. Upon his arrest, the subsequent interrogation revealed he suffered from the same condition as the other three, slowly losing control of himself when mention of their mission was made.

The Captain-Commander had not been happy.

As a result, Hitsugaya Toushirou's guard has been tripled as he moved closer and closer to consciousness. The Captain-Commander made things very clear. He was to be interrogated the very _minute_ he awoke, regardless of her wishes, and it was a point Unohana very reluctantly conceded.

Once the nurse on duty confirmed that he was awake, the very anxious for results 1st Division shinigami swarmed in.

Everything was a white blur. For a very long moment, he thought he was in his inner world. "What's your name!" someone shouted at him. Name? Was that Hyourinmaru? Was this a dream? Why was Hyourinmaru asking for his name? Shouldn't it be the other way round? Wait, Hitsugaya already knew Hyourinmaru's name. He frowned, confused.

"What's your name!" someone shouted again.

Who was it? It didn't sound like the great dragon. What happened? Where was he?

"Ugh..,get out of my..."

"What? What did he say?"

"I heard Ugeyo! Is that his nickname?"

"No..." he weakly muttered. What sort of nickname was that?

It was still way too bright, and the contrast between the black-robed people and the white ceiling was hurting his eyes. Maybe he should use Hyourinmaru to whack them all away? Where was he anyway? He started to grope for it.

"He's reaching for something! Lock his hands down." Something was holding his hand down. What...?

"Gentlemen." A woman's voice cut in, filled with polite reprimand. "Let him go now."

"Answer the question! What is your name!"

"Gentlemen," a much softer tone that sounded a lot more dangerous, "Let him go now." The hands lifted and a white-robed individual came nearer. His eyes were slowly adjusting and he thought he saw a woman with braided hair. Hitsugaya groaned. "Wha...?"

"Please, it will do you well if you answered these gentlemen's questions. Let's start simple shall we?" she smiled. "What is your name?"

Hitsugaya blinked to get the fog out of his head. "Hitsugaya Toushirou."

"Good, good. Ichibantai shinigami-san? Would you like to continue with a softer tone and volume?" she smiled at them non-threateningly.

"Ah, yes ma'am." The lead shinigami cleared his throat. "Tell us your profession," he ordered. "Student. Shinōreijutsuin," Hitsugaya muttered. The fog was slowly lifting from his brain, at least a little. He was in a hospital of some type? These were ... shinigami. What happened to land him in here. "Do you remember what happened before you ended up here?"

"I was ..."

Yuka.

"Yuka..."

"Pardon me? Did you just say Yuka? Are you referring to Asahi Yuka, a fellow student at the Shinōreijutsuin?" She died. Stepped up to defend him against Saionji and died for it. "She's dead?" he asked instead, ignoring the question posed. "Yes, but please answer the question Hitsugaya Toushirou. Are you referring to Asahi Yuka?" Hitsugaya shook his head, "Don't know. Never knew her full name. But the others ... Tanaka. He called her Yuka."

"And by Tanaka, are you referring to a Tanaka Eito, also a fellow student of yours at the Shinōreijutsuin?"

"Don't know. Never knew his full name either."

"When did you overheard their names then?"

"They talked to each other in front of me. There were also others. Hitsugaya struggled to make his hazy mind work. "There was Saionji, and Tanaka, and Yuka, and Baki, and someone called Tenzo ... and Minata. He was a kidō instructor." The shinigami made the appropriate notes in his file. Hitsugaya vaguely started to wonder if it was safe telling them all about this. Did they know about the whole plot? The ... poison ... and hollow bait ... and hollows ... secret passage. He was completely unaware that he mumbled all these out loud. "Would you repeat that Hitsugaya Toushirou."

"Poison, hollow bait ... they were going to wait until winter and spread it all around Seireitei. Then wait for the passing of seasons and the poison will evaporate and everyone will get it. And when Seireitei is in chaos, they were going to spread the hollow bait all over Rukongai and destroy Soul Society ... but they never said why ..."

If he hadn't been as out of it was he was he would probably have noticed how much more excited the shinigami got, at the prospect of having someone who could _finally _talk to them. It had been more than a little stressful to interrogate suspects who quickly went crazy, to say the least. "But they never told me why ..." Hitsugaya blearily repeated.

The words would not stop themselves now he was finally remembering precisely what happened. "Someone played a prank on me ... wandered into the old parts of the school. Got lost. Found Saionji and a friend talking about the secret passage ... think it was Tenzo. Thought I look around before using the secret passage to get back. Found hollow bait, but I didn't know it was hollow bait. Tried to research. Didn't work out. Forgot all about it and one month later ... went back. Found poison. The hallway was really cold. Panicked. Raced back but Saionji, Baki and Tenzo found me. Chased me. Fled back by destroying the walls. They ... I ... ran into Minata. He said he would help me. Realized something wrong but it was too late. He locked me up in the cage and tried to make me tell him what I knew. I wouldn't say anything. He started starving me. But Yuka and Tanaka pitied me, and they took turns bringing me a little food... Yuka was rather nice. She told me what it was. The strange little discs.. Couldn't figure it out for a long time. Said it was hollow bait. Thought I would use them to help me escape. ... Grabbed the key from Mintata, used the bait to distract ... no attract the hollows ... they were just in the next room. It worked ... blew a hole and ran ... and ran ... and ran..."

And then what did he do? Hitsugaya couldn't remember. "And then... Yuka?" He stared at the woman with braided hair. "Are you Yuka? But you're ... dead?"

"Gentlemen, I believe you have enough information for now. It certainly gives you something to report to the Captain-Commander. My patient needs rest now and I am afraid you are not going to get anything else out of him."

"Hitsugaya-san?"

"Yuka?" he asked again.

"No, I am not. I am Unohana-taichou and you are currently at the 4th Division. You are suffering from some rather serious injuries and you need to rest. Before that, can you tell me if you're hurting anywhere?"'

"Hurt?" What did that mean? Was it pain? No ... he didn't feel any pain. Just a little icy. Cold. He needed it to be colder. "Cold," he murmured. "Are you feeling cold Hitsugaya-san? Shall I fetch another blanket for you?"

"No," Hitsugaya denied. "Not cold enough," he muttered. "Ah I see. Very well, arrangements will be made immediately. If you would just have a good rest now?"

"Okay Yuka," Hitsugaya decided to agree with her.

It was easy to sink back into unconsciousness, and Hitsugaya vaguely heard Yuka chasing out the other shinigami ... Yuka was still being nice to him.

Hitsugaya woke up once more within the next two days, still rather weak and unaware. A second interrogation session revealed the second part of his story, from when he emerged into the forest up to releasing his shikai and collapsing. Unohana understood his reiryoku exhaustion a lot better after hearing that last part. To think that a child as young as he was would manage to release his shikai while still in the academy, and in such dire circumstances! Or perhaps _because_ of those dire circumstances.

Because his testimony was given while he was less than lucid, there were still several doubts on the part of the Captain-Commander regarding his innocence and in fact, the truth of his entire statement. But the 1st Division shinigami had several delicate machines from the 12th, and after Kurotsuchi grudgingly analyzed the data, he confirmed it to be true. Questioning Hitsugaya again when he was not under the influence of the drugs would only amount to minuscule changes to his story or the addition of several unimportant details. The general idea had definitely been presented. His story had also been further validated as his zanpakutō was located and its type confirmed to be an ice-snow elemental zanpakutō.

Another breakthrough came three days after Hitsugaya woke up. Analysis of the debris at the clocktower had finally turned up something, and the results were conclusive. In light of Kurotsuchi's report, a formal Captain's Meeting had been called.

Yamamoto-soutaichou preferred to hold his meetings as early as possible, despite knowing that at least four Captains would be late as a result. Having been a Captain for so many years, she was used to these early meetings, and always amused by the new Captains who were not. The agenda of these meetings were usually very clear to everyone. The Captains only met if there were emergencies after all. Any more often and a battle of epic proportions would eventually break out, which would inevitably end up with all the Captains walking out alive but suffering third degree burns, which in turn made for a very busy day for herself. A large portion of the 1st Division would also be destroyed. There was a long-standing debate in the Central 46 regarding whether the 1st Division or the 11th needed a larger reconstruction budget, as while the 11th Division was destroyed _more often_, the damage done to the 1st tended to be a lot more dramatic. Either way, she did not think the 11th Division should bother reconstructing their barracks anyway.

She did not like them.

Unohana-taichou smiled at the Captains who started entering the 1st Division meeting room. Some of the earliest Captains to arrive other than herself would be Soifon-taichou and Kuchiki-taichou. Kuchiki-taichou in particular, was never early and never late. He was always punctual, and if the meeting time had came and gone and he had yet to arrive, then it was more than likely that he would not be attending at all. Komamura-taichou was also one of the earlier Captains to arrive, though he was frequently late by a minute or two. Kyouraku-taichou used to be late for such meetings in the early days, by a ridiculous amount of time. With the passing of time, he too had became more used to the early mornings and would arrive close to the meeting time. Ukitake-taichou would arrive together with him, more often than not, provided that he was feeling well.

Aizen-taichou, a highly disciplined man, would often find himself late to such meetings because he spent too much time being concerned about his subordinates and making sure everyone in his division was doing well. Tousen-taichou would arrive around ten minutes past the meeting time, and Unohana imagined that was because he knew there would be those who would arrive after him and the meeting would not have started yet. The last three Captains were the most problematic. Zaraki-taichou was frequently late, surprisingly not because he had any desire to do so purposely, but because the directions his fukutaichou gave him were more wrong than right, and frequently consisted of repeated sentences that made little logic. Any attempts to advise Zaraki of this fact fell on deaf ears and earned one Yachiru's enmity. Which was not good, not good at all. Kurotsuchi-taichou would turn up with an excuse saying he had been too engrossed in his research and forgot the time. Sometimes, he would not appear at all. Attempts to solve this situation would lead to Kurotsuchi protesting that he was the only person capable of running the highly complex Shinigami Research and Development Institution, and special privileges should be granted. Ichimaru-taichou on the other hand, was just late for kicks.

She offered a tiny smile as he entered the chamber last, despite having stood there for an hour waiting for all the dysfunctional Gotei 13 Captains to gather, despite everyone having had at least two days' notice. The 10th Division, of course, went unrepresented. A missive would be sent to their fukutaichou later on.

The Captain-Commander banged his cane against the floor, a sign that had developed over the years to indicate the start of the meeting. He had not always done that.

"This meeting will now be in session," he said gravely.

"I hope all the Captains have read the report sent to them. Other than the partial destruction of the abandoned parts of the school, the uprooting of several trees in the forest bordering the school and 2 deaths, no further damages were made. Four out the five people arrested have underwent repeated interrogation sessions without any concrete results due to them having some sort of safeguard in place that forbids them to communicate their aims to us. The fifth, Hitsugaya Toushirou, has informed us that there was indeed a plot in place to spread poison in Seireitei to paralyze the Gotei 13 and then release hollow bait in other parts of Soul Society to lure hollows from Hueco Mundo. He claims to have been a prisoner and not a participant and currently remains incarcerated at the 4th Division under heavy guard. In the area of finding out who was behind this, little to no progress has been made. Now, Kurotsuchi will give his report on the analysis of the debris found where the clocktower used to be."

Kurotsuchi stepped up, and Zaraki scoffed at the strangely painted Captain. Yachiru would calle him Freak Freak or Clown Clown probably.

"It took me awhile but I have managed to reconstruct some of the papers that were burnt in the fire. The stupid people likely didn't know the advances science has made under my guidance at the 12th Division. Most of these papers appear to be letters to various people in Seireitei, possibly their higher-ups or accomplices. Of note is that one of the reconstructed papers appears to be some sort of order form for equipment and materials, most likely used to concoct the poison, and an indent is visible on this order form. It has been verified by myself to be the rubber stamp of a seated officer in the Gotei 13."

The Captains instantly grew more tense, and Kyouraku lowered his hat until it hid his eyes. Ukitake almost took a step back saying, "Impossible! You're saying someone in the Gotei 13 was supporting this plot? And a seated shinigami?" Ichimaru smiled, "Wouldn't be tha' first time someone 'n tha' Gotei 13 turned traitor, now would it?" Komamaura spoke up, "Such statements are dangerous to make, Ichimaru-taichou." Ichimaru smiled again, "Oh my oh my, pardon my lil self for makin' such statements then."

Yamamoto slammed his cane against the ground, and the Captains instantly silenced. "There are traitors in the Gotei 13! The amount of paperwork in that clocktower is unknown to us, but there's a chance that there are more members of the Gotei 13 involved than just one. All Captains! You are hereby ordered to begin internal investigations into your divisions, with weekly reports on your progress to be sent to the 1st Division. I will also be asking the Kidō Corps and Onmitsukidō to begin internal investigations as well." Soifon nodded in acknowledgement of the statement. "Start from the top and work you way down to the bottom." He slammed his cane into the ground once more, and raised his voice, "I want the Gotei 13 cleaned of traitor vermin within the year!"

Knowing he was not going to get a verbal response from any of his Captains – unlike his own division and every other shinigami out there, they did not jump at his every other word – he chose to continue instead. "The four uncooperative criminals will be handed over to the 12th Division for further investigation," Kurotsuchi almost clapped his hands in glee, and the rest of the Captains did not need to turn and look at him to see so, "while Hitsugaya Toushirou will be handled separately." Unohana caught how his eyes flicked to Ukitake and Kyouraku. "As he claims to be innocent and a victim, the Central 46 has issued a summons for him to appear in front of them and give a full report about everything he knows, to be answered when he has been given a clean bill of health, before which he is to remain incarcerated at the 4th Division. Unohana-taichou," she nodded in acknowledgement, "I trust you will remain on top of this." Her eyes flicked to Ukitake, who nodded at her. It seemed he had talked to the Captain-Commander after all. She made sure to convey her thanks.

"Hai, Yamamoto-soutaichou."

"Moving on, Kurotsuchi-taichou."

"Hai," the 12th Division Captain replied with undertones of mockery. "I have heard that several of your subordinates were poisoned recently by means unknown. Why have you failed to report this?" It was not the first time the Captain-Commander questioned the 12th Division's actions, and would definitely not be the last. He gave no apology and said a dismissive, "I shall submit a report when I have completed my research into the strain of poison used." Unohana chose to cut in at that point, "Kurotsuchi-taichou. May I offer the 4th Division's aid in healing your subordinates?" she smiled pleasantly enough at the loathing Captain. Perhaps sensing her feelings, or maybe it was just their long-standing rivalry, he smiled falsely and replied, "It's fine it's fine none of them are in any life-threatening danger!" he laughed. Unohana shook her head, "No, I insist. I shall come down to your division later with my division members. It is within the mandate of the Gotei 13 for us to help out our fellow Captains after all."

Trying to cut off an argument that would have kept everyone there for an unnecessarily long time, Yamamoto cut in "Does anyone have anything else to report?" Kurotsuchi glared at Unohana.

Silence. Yamamoto slid his eyes closed. "Captains, you are dismissed."

* * *

><p>When Hitsugaya finally properly woke up, it was exactly two weeks after the day he escaped. He had no recollection of the two times he woke up before this, and winced as he tried to sit up. It was easy to see he was in a medical centre of some sort, but he could not tell where he actually was. Surely they would not have brought him to the 4th Division?<p>

"Ah, you're awake!" a nurse said as she pushed the door to his hospital room open. He stared at the pink clad woman. "The alarm at my desk went off so I thought I would come and check up on you. How are you feeling right now?" she asked as she approached his bed and helped maneuver him into a sitting position. Hitsugaya eyed the strange machines next to him, following a tube hooked up to a bag of liquid into his hand. It freaked him out slightly and he resolved not to look at it. The nurse caught him though, and smiled as she explained, "You've been unconscious for a while so it was necessary. We will probably remove it later in the day now that you are awake under your own power. I hope you're feeling alright."

Hitsugaya opened his mouth to reply and found himself choking on air. He hadn't thought his throat was that dry. "Ah here, have some water! You haven't spoken in so long after all." He accepted the water gratefully and softly choked out a word, "Where?" He cleared his throat and took another sip of water. "You're currently incarcerated at the 4th Division," she smiled at him. Hitsugaya did not feel as happy as her at that statement. _Incarcerated_? His eyes grew wide and the nurse hurried to explain when she understood his reaction. "Oh it's just a little small thing. You'll probably be cleared very soon so you don't need to worry about anything." Perhaps sensing she had mentioned something she wasn't supposed to say, she hastily left after checking over the machines, but not before saying, "Please call if you have any requests. The call button is here and there are also guards right outside your door. Please have a good rest."

The fact that he had guards outside the door did not make him feel better either. Did he do something that made him get arrested? The last thing he remembered was ... a sense of dread came over him. Minata! And his poison! What happened to that? Did they manage to escape and pin all the blame onto him? Before he could start seriously pondering whether he needed to stage an escape attempt, the door opened again. Though he had not been in Seireitei for long, even he recognised the white haori of a shinigami Captain. Struck dumb with awe, he stared at the motherly-looking woman with strangely braided hair and a kind smile on her face. "Hitsugaya-san?" she asked. And she even knew his name! "Ah, hai," he hastily replied. She smiled at him again. "It is good to see you are awake and well. You were in a rather bad condition when you first came to us but now I am confident to tell you that you will be making a full recovery very soon."

"Yes, thank you. Pardon me, but how did I end up here in the 4th Division? And there's someone, er I," he fumbled his question, not knowing how to ask if the Gotei 13 knew about what Minata and Saionji had been planning. "You were found injured in a clearing with three others. Regarding the poison and hollow bait, both have been found and we have gained a general understanding of what they have been planning. We have arrested four people and recovered the bodies of two others."

Hitsugaya nodded blindly in acknowledgement as he suddenly remembered who one of the two bodies recovered probably was. "Your testimony has greatly aided us," the Captain saw fit to mention. "It did?" Hitsugaya frowned. "I did?" She nodded, "Yes, you've woken up twice before this though I'm not surprised you don't remember. You were under the rather heavy influence of drugs both times."

"The nurse mentioned that I was arrested too?"

"Yes. The situation at the time was unclear, and dangerous items had been found so all people related to the incident was arrested. Thereafter, attempts to interrogate the other four suspects arrested, all of which suffered less severe injuries than yourself, proved to be fruitless. They all showed signs of mental derogation as we drew closer to asking them what their purpose was." Hitsugaya vaguely recalled someone asking the rest to shut up because they weren't supposed to talk about their mission, and how Saionji, Tanaka and Minata all grew crazier over time during that last battle, if you could call it so. He said as much to Unohana, who nodded. "I will convey this to Kurotsuchi-taichou. He has been tasked with figuring out how to undo this safeguard." Hitsugaya repressed a shiver successfully. He had heard of the creepy Captain too.

"Am I allowed to know all this though, since I'm apparently a suspect too."

"This is part of your debrief. You have a right to know the aftermath of the situation you found yourself in. Not to mention that reports of you having been taken prisoner have already been submitted, and it is highly likely you will find yourself cleared in the near future."

"So I'm not cleared yet?"

"The situation is delicate." Unohana chose to say. "Because the other four suspects are unable to speak to us, the entire situation comes down to the little evidence we have and your word alone. While it is compelling enough, you are still required to answer a summons issued by the Central 46, to deliver a full report on everything you know about the situation. This is the main purpose of my coming to talk to you today. You will be required to answer this summons when you have been given a clean bill of health by myself."

He briefly felt like he might have a panic attack, and from the way Unohana was looking at him, she might have been expecting it too. It was not everyday that a student who had barely been in Seireitei for three months would find himself summoned by the highest authority in Soul Society. But he remembered what he promised himself, and it was not too early to start exercising that.

He was never going to have a panic attack again, remember? No matter how in over his head he was.

He took a couple of deep breaths and manage to reply Unohana normally enough, "Thank you, Captain, for taking the time to tell me all this." Unohana smiled at him, "I am Unohana Retsu, Yonbantai-taichou. Your physical injuries have been healed earlier this week and we have been carefully adjusting your body from its malnourished state to a healthier one. You also suffered from complete reiryoku exhaustion which is slowly on the mend. I would advise that you restrict your use of reiryoku for the next two weeks if you do not want your reserves to suffer any more damage. Overall, I would say you will be ready for discharge in two and a half weeks."

Hitsugaya's eyebrows shot straight up, "I'm sure I'll be okay. There isn't any need to..." Hitsugaya gradually paled. His heart stopped beating.

"I would advise that you restrict your use of reiryoku for the next two weeks, Hitsugaya-san." Unohana repeated with a warm smile.

"Ah," he dumbly nodded. "Of course. Sorry," he cringed.

"Your studies will no doubt suffer but you will have ample time to prepare for your summons. Also, may I be the first to congratulate you on your shikai. I am almost certain you are the second youngest to achieve this." She smiled at him.

"Second youngest?" he asked.

She answered, "Kusajishi-fukutaichou of the 11th Division is younger than you are." Hitsugaya was rather stunned by that. There was someone even younger than he was in the Gotei 13? And a Vice Captain at that? Why was everyone gossiping so much about his age when there was someone _younger_ and _higher-ranked_ that he was then? "But she is a bit of a special case," Unohana-taichou continued.

_Ah,_ Hitsugaya thought dryly, _that made sense_. **Not. **

The next moment he shot straight upright and ignoring the winded feeling, proceeded to spit out, "Where's my zanpakutō?" To her credit, the aged Captain was not startled. "As your current status is still that of a suspect, your zanpakutō has been withheld from you. It is currently in my custody and will be returned to you pending the Central 46's decision." Hitsugaya pondered over that as Unohana moved on, "Then I shall be leaving you at that. Please do not spend too long thinking over all these or worrying about your future. It is more important for you to rest well and recover quickly right now."

"Thank you very much. I'm sorry for the trouble, Unohana-taichou." _Especially that bit where I refused to heed your advice, _he silently added.

"Don't be," she smiled. "Our thirteenth seat, Kira Izuru, is in charge of your room. Please direct any requests towards him. He's still new at our division, but he is rather capable. Please have a good rest, Hitsugaya-san." Hitsugaya gave his thanks and thought over the name. Kira Izuru sounded rather familiar, and he thought he was quite likely to be Hinamori's friend. It was probably best to avoid the guy to avoid Hinamori finding out he got arrested and injured, if it was not all over Seireitei already, though he did not believe so.

* * *

><p>Forty wise men. Six judges. His History lessons had not covered them yet, but he got the general gist reading ahead in his textbook. In charge of trying all Shinigami crimes, his textbook stated quite explicitly that the Central 46 have never made a error in judgement throughout their long years. Every single one of them was an upstanding citizen who lived according to the highest moral standards, humbled by the great decisions they made everyday.<p>

It sounded too much like a load of propaganda for him to believe it.

One of the more accurate things written in his textbook was probably that their identities were hidden to all but their own, and their members are replaced by themselves and the occasional input of the Captain-Commander. Despite the claim that all three militaries were equal to each other, the Gotei 13 stood strongest with the longest history and the largest amount of shinigami. Hitsugaya confirmed this probable fact for himself as he stood in a sea of darkness with the only light in the room glaring brightly down at him. It was far from a friendly environment. The Central 46 members were all seated at least 10m above him and surrounded him on all sides in a circle. From their high positions and Hitsugaya's lack of sight, he felt very vulnerable to sudden attacks and a slight sense of helplessness slowly creeped in, so much that he wished he had Hyourinmaru around with to chase away. But the rules were clear. No zanpakutō were allowed here in the Underground Assembly Hall. Though he barely felt it, the air was freezing cold, probably to pressure whoever they were interrogating. Because make no mistake, this was not a meeting where a subordinate reported to a superior.

It was an interrogation.

"You are Hitsugaya Toushirou, a student at the Shinō Academy?" A harsh voice asked. It echoed all around until Hitsugaya couldn't tell where it was coming from. He forced himself to face the front, assuming that was opposite of the entrance he came in, and said as steadily as he could manage, "Hai."

"Hitsugaya Toushirou!" Another woman's voice continued, "You have been summoned today to provide a full report on the events that occurred at the Shinōreijutsuin approximately three weeks ago! We will make it known to you that if we find you lying or making an attempt to cover-up for someone, you will be treated as an accomplice for treason and punished accordingly! Is that clear?"

_Think cool and calm. Like ice. Hyourinmaru's ice. He loves ice remember? Ice field and all. Cool. Calm. Ice._

"Hai," he answered.

"Begin!"

In a tone as clear, polite and formal as he could possibly make it, his report started with the prank played on him by somebody he could not even remember. He recounted overhearing Saionji speaking about the secret passage, exploring the old parts of the school, retrieving the discs and attempting to research them, returning a month later and failing to escape, being held in captivity, Yuka's help, escaping, and finally waking up at the 4th Division. During his 2 week recovery period at the 4th Division, he had gone through the sequence of events to decide how best to verbally report it to the Central 46. He had prepared this over and over again to make sure he would not miss anything, unduly stressing himself out perhaps, but when he finally finished, he was very glad to have gotten it over with.

"And you do not know who might possibly be behind this?" Someone shouted down at him. "No," he replied. He had also decided to leave out his suspicions over someone high up in the Gotei 13 or Central 46 possibly being one of the masterminds behind this incident, since it was not confirmed and would probably not win him any favors in front of the Central 46. "Are you sure?" He replied in the affirmative.

"We have here a report from the 4th Division Captain, Unohana Retsu, regarding the injuries you suffered when you were found. Tell us, are we supposed to believe that a child like you managed to achieve his shikai, even though you collapsed in complete reiryoku exhaustion eventually?" Someone else asked in a much gentler tone, though Hitsugaya thought he suffered a greater insult this time. "Yes," he bluntly said, because there was nothing else he could say. "You understand lying to us makes you guilty of treason?" The same man pressed, and Hitsugaya replied "Yes," again. He already submitted his report, why couldn't this be over with?

No replies. Hitsugaya felt the cold sweat gathering around his forehead and down the back of his neck. They stopped asking him questions but he could hear the quiet murmurings between them as they deliberated over his report. Barely suppressing the urge to shift from feet to feet, he almost jumped when a gavel banged down. "Hitsugaya Toushirou!" came another shout. "We have deliberated among ourselves and we will now deliver our verdict!"

_Verdict_? He wasn't a criminal, was he?

"We have judged your report to be trustworthy to a certain extent, but due to a lack of another point of view of the sequence of events that occurred to verify it, we are unable to proclaim you completely innocent and unrelated to the Shinōreijutsuin Rebellion. Your involvement will be kept classified to the Captains and members of this Council only, and you are not allowed to mention this incident to anyone. You will also serve out a probation period spanning the rest of your time at the Shinō Academy, and another four years after that!"

"What?" He couldn't stop the outburst. He was being placed on _**probation**_? For a period looking to be another **eight years**?

"Curb your attitude, Hitsugaya Toushirou! There will be no appeals made! You are dismissed."

Before he could even get another word in, the same guards who led him into the Underground Assembly Hall – Onmitsukidō – flash stepped back into the chamber right next to him, and made it absolutely clear he was to leave immediately. Ushered straight out of the compound, he was handed over to his 4th Division guards who were instructed to return him straight to their division. Further instructions would be passed down through the Captain-Commander.

He was still in a stunned shock when he was directed back to his hospital room and he sat down on his bed in a daze. Wasn't he supposed to give a report? Did people pass verdicts on you when you gave reports? He didn't have anything to do with that entire affair. He really didn't. He _knew_ he didn't. He was just minding his own business when he stumbled into that and got himself injured for no good reason. He was just minding his own business and trying to get out of the academy quick when he got saddled with the guilt of causing someone else's death. He was just minding his own business when he was mysteriously and unreasonably given _**a eight year probation period**_.

Probation meant he was not allowed outside of Seireitei, even on a day-off. He was not allowed to send or receive letters from outside of Seireitei. There was a whole list of places he was not allowed to go _within_ Seireitei, and there was a whole other list of topics he had to carefully avoid mentioning if he did not want people to be suspicious of him. When he graduated from the Academy, the same rules applied except he was not allowed to be promoted, and could not handle matters more important than the setting up of a duty roster and caring of hell butterflies. He was not allowed to be deployed on field missions, and prohibited from attending supplementary lessons at the Academy. His training had to be carried out separately from the rest of his division (or unit if he joined the Onmitsukidō or Kidō Corps) and closely monitored. His pay would be slashed in half. It was effectively dooming him to a life in the Gotei 13 where he would be stuck as the errand boy of his division, working for little pay and not improving himself at all.

He wouldn't see Granny for years, after he promised himself he was going to visit a lot more often than Hinamori.

He sunk his hands into his hair and fought the urge to tear them all out. This was going to certify him as a kid who was in over his head in the Gotei 13 when he was anything but. The helplessness was quickly giving away to pure anger when a nervous head poked itself into his room and called out "Hitsugaya-san?" He failed to restrained the urge to snap and snarled out, "WHAT?"

The 4th Division shinigami jerked himself back in shock and tried not to tremble in fear, "It's just that you're leaking reiatsu and making the entire place really really cold and you shouldn't be doing things like that when you've just recovered," he babbled. Hitsugaya forced himself to calm down and not dive over and strangle the 4th Division shinigami. Taking control of his reiatsu, he made himself apologize, "Sorry about that." The shinigami nodded and quickly fled. Hitsugaya sighed and pulled up his legs so he could rest his forehead on his knees.

God, everything was just so messed-up.

Hitsugaya was released from the 4th Division after a final check-up two days later. He returned to his room at the Academy to find it completely empty and dusty, and sighed, not wanting to get in all that right now. Collapsing on the dirty floor dressed in his only set of uniform, he laid his zanpakutō across his legs and talked to the only person he could talk to right now.

The great dragon was silent as he waited for Hitsugaya to say what he wanted to, but he didn't even know where to start. The dragon broke the silence. _**You have recovered admirably from that incident weeks ago.**_

_Yeah_, _the 4th Division are great at healing and all._

_**Yet you appear vexed. This is the first time we are conversing since that incident and after I have been returned to you mere hours ago. What is the matter?**_

_I've ... been placed on probation._

_**Is that something problematic?**_

_Yes. Very. For the next eight years, it's going to completely ruin my life and I'm not even exaggerating. I can forget about seeing Granny anytime soon, and I don't even know what Hinamori is going to say when I'm forced to tell her I'm on probation. What am I supposed to say? _He ranted. _Tell her that I'm on probation because the Central 46 thinks I'm connected to an act of treason? Which I'm actually innocent of but because it's my word and my word alone, they decide I cannot be trusted? I didn't even _**do**_ anything. I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and suddenly I'm just-_ Hitsugaya cut himself off and rubbed his temples wearily. _I'm ranting. I shouldn't be ranting. It's not going to help me at all._

_**Eight years is only assuming if you take four years to complete the rest of this school, is it not? You have skipped grades before this. Surely you can do it again?**_

_That's only because the first year is horrendously easy. The second year took a lot of effort out of me and I did it partially because I wanted to get away from the bullying nobles. I've just missed about a month and a half of school. I can't even imagine how behind I am in the third year after missing out for five and a half months of the third year curriculum. The subsequent years are supposed to get more difficult and even if I manage to graduate early, that's still four years in the Gotei 13 with no way of cutting it short. And that's- _Hitsugaya abruptly remembered another detail about being on probation _before_ you even graduated into one of the three militaries. _Oh shit._

_**What is it?**_

_I'm only on probation if any of the Gotei 13 divisions or the Kidō Corps or the Onmitsukidō wants me. If none of them recruits me or accepts my application, and I'm not allowed to leave Seireitei, they might find a prison cell and just decide to shove me in it for four years._

_**That's provides with even more motivation to do well in your studies so you can find someplace that will accept you does it not?**_

Hitsugaya grimly got up from the dirty floor and dusted himself off. _I'll have to go pester one of the instructors for school materials, and somehow procure another kidō book, probably through Kurumadani again. I can't imagine what everyone thinks about my disappearance and reappearance and that incident week ago._

_**And when you are feeling better about your situation, as I expect you well when you figure out a more concrete solution soon, we will talk about shikai**_.

Hitsugaya's hand stilled on the doorknob and he smiled his first in a while. _Yes, and then we'll talk about shikai._

One and a half months later, when Hitsugaya smoothly proceeded to his fourth year, he had to give some credit to Hyourinmaru. Maybe his zanpakutō _had_ learnt how to give better suggestions. A burning motivation to end his probation sooner, even if he couldn't do anything about the later four years, proved to be the right kind of inspiration for him. The Shinōreijutsuin Rebellion, as the Central 46 had called it, had been completely covered up.

The reason for the disappearance of a kidō instructor and four other students had been attributed to a training accident, and rumors that the _unsuccessful child_ was back for a second chance gradually died down. However, Hitsugaya had heard through Kurumadani, who had tearfully welcomed him back for some reason – completely freaking him out – that there were major internal changes going on in the Gotei 13. Internal investigations were ongoing and though Kurumadani said that somebody told him this kind of thing occurred rather frequently, Hitsugaya thought it was likely to be linked to the Shinōreijutsuin Rebellion and an attempt to find whoever was behind it. If he did manage to get into the Gotei 13, he was going to put in a considerable amount of effort to help find the masterminds who inadvertently caused him to be placed on probation. The matter was, however, shoved to the back of his mind at the moment as he focused on moving up and scoring the best grades he could possibly wring out of his exams.

Some would say he became obsessed with his studies and neglected everything else. But Hitsugaya had no close friends who would point that out, Hinamori never visited and Hyourinmaru had long decided he was a zanpakutō who served and not advised, whether his master knew it or not.

As his eighth month in Seireitei came and went, another two months later, he entered the fifth grade at the academy. Whispers of him being _the unsuccessful child_ died down, and were replaced by mutterings of him being a genius, just like it once was at the start of his second and third years. Hitsugaya ignored them, contenting himself with his studies and exploring his shikai with Hyourinmaru, though far away from prying eyes and where sharp students could feel his reiatsu. He actually laughed at himself when he realized Hyourinmaru was an ice-snow elemental type. He should have expected it after all. The coldest winters never bothered him, and neither did the cold when he was locked up by Minata. But he had thought Hyourinmaru would be a melee-type instead. Locations to train his zanpakutō were limited due to his probation, but he did manage to find a large clearing within Seireitei that few people frequented for some reason. Whenever someone _did_ appear, he used Hyourinmaru to lower the temperature of the surroundings until whoever it was left because it was too cold. Quite soon, rumors spread about the extreme coldness of that clearing and nobody came.

Hitsugaya knew that many students actually participated in their individual training at the large forest near the school. But he had swore he was not going to go near there unless absolutely necessary ever again. He didn't want to think about Yuka.

It was in the first month of his fifth "year" that he found himself sitting alone in his classroom, waiting for a lecture to begin. He stared out the window, mentally testing the distance between Hyourinmaru and himself, when he was approached by a tall male student sliding himself onto his table and casually sitting on it.

"Are you _the_ Hitsugaya Toushirou, the young genius everyone has been talking about?" the student asked, a long fringe covering half his face and smiling friendly enough. Hitsugaya, who had not been approached by anyone other than Kurumadani in all his time at the Academy, was slightly surprised.

"Wha.. Who are you?" he bluntly threw back, ignoring the hand in his face.

The student smiled again. "Hello, I'm Kusaka Sōjirō."

* * *

><p><em>end~<em>

Thanks for the reviews and welcome to the new readers! I hadn't been sure if I would introduce Kusaka, but I decide why not? in the end. The Shinōreijutsuin Rebellion affair is over, but there are repercussions for a lot of people involved and it might be of significance again in the future.


	9. Interlude 2

_**Interlude: While He Was Sleeping (2)**_

"Hinamori-san?" A soft, gentle voice called out and Hinamori jerked awake from where she was sprawled over her table. It had been one of her long nights, where she returned to her division barracks to catch up on her never-ending paperwork after spending the evening training. She didn't know why the piles of paper on her table always seemed to be taller than everyone else – she didn't really believe Renji when he said people were taking advantage of her and making her do extra – but she was determined to do it all to the best of her ability regardless. Paperwork for an unseated shinigami was more often tedious than difficult, so the struggle lay in finding time to do it all with the Officer Placement Exams coming soon.

She hastily started to tidy up her table, convinced it was one of the night patrol guards who came to wake her again. "Sorry about this, I can't believe I fell asleep at my desk again. I just need to go through a few more documents and then I'll call it a night. Thanks for-" she cut herself off and froze as she stared at the figure who had woken her up. Aizen smiled at her with disapproving concern, "Hinamori-san, have you been working late nights all this time? I was unaware an unseated shinigami had so much paperwork to contend with."

Hinamori immediately shot up from her seat and gave a quick bow to her superior, "Aizen-taichou! Please accept my apologies. I had not meant to delay my paperwork-" Aizen quickly interrupted, "No, I have been observing you and your work for awhile Hinamori-san," her cheeks almost glowed red at that, "and it has always been very well-done. I can clearly see that you are a highly disciplined and hardworking person. To be kept so late simply because of paperwork ... no, there must be some other reason. Have other shinigami been handing off their work to you?" He sounded extremely disapproving. "What? No, er I..." she fumbled, "it's just that I've been training during my free time and I haven't had the time to catch up on paperwork." She really didn't want to cause anyone any trouble.

"You are not supposed to be catching up on paperwork during free time Hinamori-san," Aizen gently reminded her, "though it's gratifying to hear you've been training on your own. Few unseated or even seated shinigami have such initiative." She thought her chest was going to burst with pride at that. She still couldn't believe it! She was holding a conversation with Aizen-taichou! "I'll be making enquiries into this. It does not set a good example for anyone when people skive off of work. And Hinamori-san should not be made to suffer for others," he smiled at her. She blushed deeply and stammered, "Thank you, Aizen-sama." Aizen's eyes widened, "I'm afraid I don't quite deserve that honorific, Hinamori-san!" She turned red again in mortification, "I'm sorry Aizen-taichou!" she bowed.

"Please turn in soon Hinamori-san. I have high hopes for you during the upcoming Officer Placement Exams." he gave her one final smile and left a breathlessly overjoyed Hinamori at her desk. She was definitely going to work even harder from now on!

* * *

><p>"Oh ya~? Workin' late tonite, Aizen-sama?" Gin asked mockingly when Aizen entered his own office. "Gin," Aizen acknowledged, the soft gentle voice giving way to a strong and smooth one. "How long have you been here?"<p>

"Awhile." the fox-faced man grinned. "Lil' girl out there looks pretty infatuated with ya, ain't she?" Aizen smiled back, amused. "Yes she does. I expect Hinamori Momo to become a very valuable asset in the future. Did you have something to report?" Gin laid back in his chair. "Not really, mor' like I've got sumthin' ta clarify with ya, Aizen-taichou."

"Oh?"

"The Shinōreijutsuin Rebellion as they 're callin' it these days. Ya can't be ta happy ta see tat plan go up in smoke now can ya?" Aizen chuckled at Gin's question. "There is little consequence in that particular plan failing. I have obtained the objectives I wanted that elementary plot to achieve. And a certain troublesome person has also been removed. I would count it as a success personally."

"Oh? Wanna explain tat ta meh, Aizen-taichou?"

Aizen disinterestedly shuffled a few files on his desk and started to peruse some documents as he started to speak. "I merely wanted to test out the viability of poison as a means of incapacitating large amounts of people in Seireitei. There was not much reason to throw in the hollow bait, but if a large amount of hollows came through to Soul Society, I could have used that window to move more freely within Hueco Mundo. Even more so if a few Menos decided to join in. As it is, I have decided that we will be able to handle whatever obstacles we come across in Hueco Mundo. Without this being uncovered, I would have abandoned that plot eventually nonetheless. The entire thing was just causing damage for damages' sake in a way," he admitted.

Gin knew that even though the 5th Division Captain looked thoroughly disinterested, he was reveling in the moment where he got to share his genius. Playing along, he asked "And ta poison?" Aizen replied quickly enough, "I have tested that too. You may have heard that some of Kurotsuchi's subordinates were poisoned. It was more than just a few actually, maybe one quarter of his division. Doubtlessly, Unohana knew about that too which is why she volunteered the 4th Division. Between the two of them fighting and arguing, the entire situation was resolved within a day and there were only three casualties, though those were more the result of Kurotsuchi delaying treatment on them for his research. Even if three quarters of Seireitei were infected, if the two of them were fine, they can most definitely handle the situation well. The Captains, who I would most want to incapacitate, are also a lot stronger than the average shinigami in resisting poisons. No, it is not a viable option after all."

"Huh," Gin said as he flipped that over in his mind. Both he and Aizen were silent for awhile before Gin asked again, "And who didya' wanna remove?" Aizen paused in his work and looked up before leaning back. "It's a shame she had to die," he murmured. "She was exceedingly useful in keeping the people at the academy on track since she didn't have to deal with that nasty little safety mechanism I implanted in them. But for the same reason that she _didn't _have it, I would have had her killed eventually."

"And why didja not put tat in her again?"

"It required the use of Kyouka Suigetsu, and she was just one of those rare people whose zanpakutō's abilities so perfectly countered mine." Aizen mused, "It would have been interesting to see how greatly she may have helped Soul Society against me. But Asahi Yuka was too big a threat to ignore. Her zanpakutō allowed her to distort the five senses of anyone within a certain distance, including herself. My illusions would have failed against her, and did in fact do so."

"Distortion of 'e five senses alone shouldn't be enough ta fool ya zanpakutō though, ain't it?"

"Not if hers allows her to switch those five senses around." Gin frowned a slight bit to show his puzzlement. "Imagine being able to smell colour, hear sights and see sound among others. Against someone like that, how am I supposed to weave an illusion capable of fooling her and those she targets?"

"Huh. So ya sure yer happy with how it turned out, Aizen-taichou?"

"Of course. It was mostly for fun after all." He replied rather firmly, returning to his paperwork.

"So the lil' plan ta use the poison ta incapacitate the shinigami n' distract them? Send in the hollows ta swarm Soul Society so they would declare an emergency n' shift the Central 46 out of Seijōtōkyorin? All this so ya could sneak into the Daireishokairō? Did ya forget tat lil part there? And what bout tat part where ya wanted to connect to a lot of people at tha academy ta use as spies later on? Quite a bit of them got caught and tat lil investigation going on's gonna clear some others out ya know." Gin pointed out, smiling a little too brightly.

"Gin. Would I come up with such a convoluted plot just to sneak into the Daireishokairō when there are so many easier ways out there?" Aizen asked with a slight frown.

Gin actually thought for awhile. "Hmmm, yes?" He even continued, "Ya poisoned those 12th Division guys because ya were pissed bout Kurotsuchi because the 5th Division 5th Seat ya were grooming fer ur Vice-Captain position crossed him and got killed for it. Which's why yer targeting lil miss goodie out there now. And ya gonna prove meh right by getting tha info ya wanted from the Daireishokairō within tha next week coz yer finally getting impatient." Aizen stopped looking through his paperwork and leaned back to observe Gin, rather impressed. "You really _are_ my Vice-Captain, Gin."

"Which means ya _really_ are pissed then." Gin smirked.

Aizen acknowledged it. "I would probably personally gut the young boy in the future. I would forget about this little transgression after that though." Aizen reached out and slid open a file on his table. "Hitsugaya Toushirou," he read aloud. "I might have recruited him since Hinamori Momo is his sister and he seems very much like a talent. But after this ... no. Such people are not to be kept around." Gin idly replied, "I saw his file too. Seems like a pretti' smart guy. But he din't get involved because he was smart ya know." Aizen tossed the file aside and mentally noted to get rid of it. "In which case he was lucky or unlucky," Aizen replied. "Such people aren't meant to be kept around either."

"Hmmmm, one final question Aizen-taichou," and he frowned a little before allowing it, "what bout tat cannon thing ya told her bout?"

"Gin." Aizen was not really amused right now. "Why have you came here so late in the night to ask things you know as clearly as I do?"

The fox-faced man grinned and shrugged, "Ya know ya like ta hear urself talk. Just helping ya out a little." He let out a laugh before he continued, waving his hand vaguely around, "And ya never know who out there wants ta know."

* * *

><p><em>end~<em>

Apologies for the extremely short update.


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